WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 741: Episode 30: Twelve Zodiacs (3)

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* * *

I'll start with the conclusion.

[Your support rate has increased.]

[16% of the beastfolk belonging to Area 13 currently support you.]

Our fable was a success.

[Your support rate has increased.]

[25% of the beastfolk belonging to Area 13 currently support you.]

To be more precise.

[Your support rate has increased.]

[32% of the beastfolk belonging to Area 13 currently support you.]

Our fable had become quite popular.

The system messages I had been hearing for a while were proof of that.

[The fable Fox, Crane, and Wolf - Sometimes Panda is becoming more influential.]

The name had become a little strange, but becoming famous was better than nothing. The more I looked at it, the more stylish it felt than "Fox and Crane Hotel."

It was like how Yu Junghyeok's name felt more aesthetically pleasing than Dokja's.

"I-it's becoming famous. My fable is becoming famous again."

The crane owner, checking the messages in real time, stared at the system window as though his eyes would split apart.

Perhaps because the fable was regaining its strength, Mana surged throughout his body.

The other beastfolk's expressions also changed.

"Could you make my fable like the crane's too?"

Even the beastfolk who had hesitated until then spoke up.

"My fable too! Please do mine too!"

The beastfolk who had been waiting for an opportunity all began grabbing onto me and shouting.

"Please appear in it yourself!"

"Make the panda appear too!"

"I don't care if my fable becomes a complete mess. I want to be remembered once more. Even someone like me-"

Those who had lost their dreams recognized the emptiness dreams left behind more clearly than anyone.

"I want everyone to know that I existed in the Star Stream too."

"Understood."

As I watched the beastfolk's expressions change, I felt an indescribable sorrow.

What had driven them this far? Why did they want to become famous and spread their fables?

[The fable Swallow That Brought a Gourd Seed wants to tell its story again.]

Was it their will, or the fables' will?

[The fable Pigeon and Jackdaw wants to tell its story again.]

I don't know. Nor is it something I can argue over.

I was merely a Writer who wrote stories.

[The fable Goose That Lays Golden Eggs wants to tell its story again.]

If fables wanted me, I would simply live up to their expectations.

"All right, come over here and line up one at a time."

The Twelve Zodiacs hadn't been the Twelve Zodiacs from the beginning.

So who knew?

Perhaps one of the beastfolk here would become a new member of the Twelve Zodiacs and join our side.

Even if that didn't happen, it didn't matter.

[Your support rate has increased.]

[33% of the beastfolk belonging to Area 13 currently support you.]

My support rate was steadily rising even at that very moment.

* * *

Two more days passed like that.

[Your support rate has increased.]

[70% of the beastfolk belonging to Area 13 currently support you.]

Over those two days, we turned countless fables into scenes.

For example, "Swallow That Brought a Gourd Seed."

The swallow said it had been unable to begin a Stage Transformation because there hadn't been any humans around.

"So the Faceless Mask really does work. I thought reenactment would be impossible in Area 13 forever."

[The fable's name has been changed due to an abnormal Stage Transformation.]

[The fable Panda Who Witnessed the Swallow That Brought a Gourd Seed has been born.]

We also performed fables involving pigeons, jackdaws, elephants, parrots, hyenas, and the like.

We changed them however we wanted. Sometimes a wolf appeared, sometimes a panda did. Now that mask transformations using the Faceless Mask were possible, I filled whatever roles were missing when necessary.

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

Of course, not every fable transformation went smoothly. "Goose That Lays Golden Eggs" was especially dangerous. The goose, which hadn't laid an egg in far too long, fainted while laying one.

"This friend isn't waking up. If the Stage Transformation ends like this-"

"It's dead."

"Pardon?"

A terrible disaster had occurred. The fable's actual owner had died on stage.

The goose in "Goose That Lays Golden Eggs" was originally destined to die with its belly cut open, but hadn't it died far too early this time?

Just as people began suggesting we should abandon this fable, I called for Mr. Dansu.

"Sir."

"Yes."

"Don't turtles lay eggs too?"

Mr. Dansu turned to me with a dumbfounded expression.

"I'm not a goose. I'm not Han Myeongoh either."

"I'm not asking you to lay one. But couldn't you at least incubate the egg?"

Mr. Dansu was urgently brought in as the goose's hatching assistant.

Holding the lukewarm egg in his arms, he wore an odd expression.

"I think something is moving."

He diligently incubated the golden egg, and when a gosling finally emerged from it, everyone was moved and applauded.

The goose's fable could continue because of that.

Mr. Dansu shed tears as though he were looking at a child he had given birth to himself.

"I understand Han Myeongoh now."

[The fable's name has been changed due to an abnormal Stage Transformation.]

[The fable Turtle Who Incubated the Goose's Golden Egg and Panda Who Happened to Be There has been born.]

"Evaluator!"

[The Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon says it was fun that they stupidly didn't cut open the goose's belly.]

[The Constellation Reclining Dragon laments the fate of the goose, sacrificed on a meta level to gold worship, and is moved by the tragedy of a fable that will continue once more through the birth of new life......]

[The Constellation One Who Brought Ten Lambs says the turtle's fatherly love brings tears to their eyes.]

"Verification complete! Send it!"

We kept sending the fables as soon as they were complete.

The time density of the Recycling Center was far higher than that outside, so new fables were likely being supplied in real time beyond this place.

According to Bihyeong's fussing, an incomprehensible number of Constellations outside the Center were paying Coins to read our fables.

- These are Indirect Messages from the Constellations outside. Read them when you have time.

Messages from Constellations?

I looked through the compressed list of messages Bihyeong had sent me.

[The Constellation Lily Blooming in Aquarius says the panda is really cute.]

[The Constellation Friend of Justice and Harmony says cute things are always right.]

[The Constellation Goddess of the Morning Star asks when the panda will appear again.]

......

Most of the reactions came from Constellations of the absolute good alignment.

I looked in case there might be a message from Uriel, but she wasn't there.

For some reason, I felt disappointed.

Uriel's absence somehow felt like proof that I still wasn't a proper Dokja.

[The fable Heir to an Eternal Name is starving.]

[The fable Heir to an Eternal Name stares at you.]

[You currently have three days left to live.]

Three days.

It really was time to replenish it.

Come to think of it, it should be arriving soon.

- Oh, the delayed reward came in too.

As expected.

[You have obtained the reward for the Sub Scenario Fox and Crane Hotel!]

[You have obtained 12,000 Coins!]

[You have obtained an Unidentified Fable Fragment!]

The reward for the Sub Scenario "Fox and Crane Hotel," which I had cleared earlier, had only just arrived.

There was a reason the reward had been delayed.

- It took a while to explain things to my superiors. You're the first one to clear a Scenario like this.

I could guess what had happened.

We had reenacted the fable but changed its name in the process. The Administration Bureau must have been troubled over whether this could be considered a reenactment of "Fox and Crane Hotel."

- Anyway, I had a hard time insisting that the original had been preserved because the fox and crane both appeared.

'Thank you.'

- Don't mention it. More importantly, the fables are doing really well, so keep it up.

It seemed Bihyeong's eyes were beginning to light up at all the Coins coming in.

- You saw the Constellations' messages, right? A lot of them want the panda to keep appearing. I don't really get it, but the panda you made appear is incredibly hot these days.

'Pandas are cute.'

- I can never understand the Constellations' tastes. Why do they like things like that?

I gave a bitter smile.

Why did the Constellations like pandas?

'Because they're that lonely.'

- Lonely?

Kyrios had once said the following about Scenarios.

「Without even that, this universe would be far too lonely.」

Constellations probably didn't always know why they liked a particular fable.

At some point in their lives, they encountered a story as though by Fate. Watching that story, they burned themselves up and gave off light.

Bathed in starlight, the story shone even brighter. In the end, it became a fable that drew the Star Stream's attention.

'If everyone is watching the same story, they won't be as lonely.'

- What nonsense are you talking about?

Instead of answering Bihyeong, I used the Unidentified Fable Fragment.

[The Unidentified Fable Fragment has revealed its identity.]

[You have obtained the Fable Fragment Kim Dokja's Third Way.]

As expected, the reward that arrived was a Kim Dokja Fragment.

When I had first entered the Recycling Center, I had also obtained Kim Dokja's Fable Fragment as a Scenario reward.

I suspected the Recycling Center Director was deliberately giving fables like these as rewards.

Why? For what purpose?

I couldn't know yet, but it was fortunate for me right now.

Without hesitation, I ordered the fable to devour it.

[The fable Heir to an Eternal Name devours the Fable Fragment Kim Dokja's Third Way!]

[The fable Heir to an Eternal Name satisfies its hunger.]

Warmth spread deep in my chest, and a message soon appeared.

[Your synchronization rate with your Patron has increased.]

[You can use the Fable Fragment Kim Dokja's Third Way.]

Kim Dokja's Third Way.

What ability did this fragment possess?

[Eight days have been added to your time limit.]

That was when someone grabbed my shoulder.

"Dokja-ssi."

Ye Hyunwoo was standing behind me when I turned around.

Perhaps reading my expression, Hyunwoo asked, "Are you all right?"

"Ah, yes. Sorry."

The reason I was surprised was simple.

I hadn't sensed Hyunwoo's presence at all.

I had checked that no one was nearby before using fable predation, so when had Hyunwoo approached?

Even if Hyunwoo had learned [Way of the Wind], they shouldn't have been skilled enough to conceal their presence completely.

"I was just thinking for a moment. What is it?"

I recalled the time I had absorbed Mr. Kim Gyeongsik's soul.

I couldn't forget Gu Seonah's face as she looked at me in horror after watching me devour a Kim Dokja Fragment.

After that, I had never seen Gu Seonah again.

Hyunwoo asked me with an expression like Gu Seonah's from that day.

"Will this be all right?"

"Pardon?"

"The fables. I was wondering whether it's really all right for us to perform Story Repair on fables however we want."

Ah, that was what this was about.

Feeling a little relieved, I answered, "It's all right. They're Historical-grade fables, after all."

[The fable Panda Who Witnessed the Swallow That Brought a Gourd Seed, which you took part in, is becoming more influential.]

[The fable Turtle Who Incubated the Goose's Golden Egg and Panda Who Happened to Be There, which you took part in, is becoming more influential.]

[The name Kim Dokja is beginning to become known throughout the Star Stream.]

Normally, it would have been impossible to perform Story Repair on fables this way.

It was only possible because this was the Recycling Center, the fable owners had given their permission, and the fables themselves were low-grade.

"As you know, once a fable's grade rises, you can't repair it like this."

From Legendary-grade fables onward, it wasn't easy to intervene in the stage itself.

If Story Repair were easy, Dokja would have gained countless fables like "Secretive Plotter and Dokja" or "Dokkaebi King and Dokja."

[Your Attribute proficiency has increased.]

In any case, this repair operation had been quite profitable for me.

I earned Coins, gained fable shares, and built up proficiency related to my Attribute.

It was probably proficiency related to Writer, but I still couldn't open my Attributes Window, so I had no way to check.

"I knew there were fable Story Repairers in the Demon Realm, but this is the first time I've seen fables repaired like this."

"It isn't a method that appears in the main story."

"How did you know about it, Dokja-ssi?"

"I read TWSA."

Hyunwoo let out a quiet laugh, apparently thinking it was a joke.

"At times like this, Dokja-ssi really seems like Dokja-ssi."

"That's a compliment, right?"

"Dokja-ssi."

"Yes."

"Dokja-ssi."

"Yes."

"Are you really Dokja-ssi?"

Come to think of it, Hyunwoo had asked me the same question before.

"In a sense."

At my answer, different from the one I had given before, Hyunwoo fell silent for a moment.

Night was returning to Area 13 once again.

Watching smoke curl from the chimney of a house across the empty lot, Hyunwoo asked, "Do you have a family, Dokja-ssi?"

"I have parents."

For the first time in a while, I recalled my parents' faces.

They made me think of a mild spring night.

"I'm jealous. I don't have anyone."

I stood there awkwardly for a moment, not knowing what to say.

Should I offer comfort at a time like this, or should I ask something else?

I realized I still knew nothing about Hyunwoo.

The Seventh Apostle of the Apostles' Council. A friend of Jiyoon, Mr. Dansu's daughter.

That was all I knew about Ye Hyunwoo.

Their real name. Whether they were male or female. Where they lived, what hobbies they liked.

I knew nothing at all.

"Even if I return to reality, there isn't really anyone waiting for me."

I recalled the time Hyunwoo had been marked as a Character.

Back then, I had asked about our goal, and Hyunwoo had answered like this.

「“Being happy?”」

The air around us seemed to twist slightly.

"Hyunwoo-ssi, that's not true. Surely, even in reality-"

"Was Kim Dokja happy in reality?"

I closed my mouth.

Hyunwoo continued.

"Maybe Kim Dokja ran away to this world because reality was painful too?"

I couldn't answer.

It was a question I shouldn't answer now.

"If someone has to become Kim Dokja."

Hyunwoo's voice behind me changed.

"Wouldn't it be more reasonable for someone with nothing left to lose to become Kim Dokja?"

The moment I turned my head at the chilling feeling, a sharp force grazed my cheek.

Footnotes:

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