WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 75: Episode 15 - A Kingless World (5)

The people, startled, all turned to look at Han Suyeong.

She was squatting on the ground, observing them, and then spat on the floor.

“Are you idiots? Get a grip. If you want to survive, start thinking. Who knows when you’ll run into assholes like that again, and here you are cutting down people who could be allies.”

“Th-that’s…”

“In a world like this, the only people weaklings can team up with are other weaklings. You should be helping each other, not fighting over a few lousy items.”

Those listening snapped out of their fog, their faces turning red with shame.

The mid-grade dokkaebi probably had no idea.

Among the people he’d scattered, there was a web novel author with experience handling scenarios like this.

“You’ve gathered all the weapons and supplies you need, right? Haven’t you ever read survival stories? The selfish jerks are always the first to die. Do you really think grabbing a few extra scraps is going to make you stronger than him?”

The survivors glanced at me, and their expressions darkened. The murderous intent in some of their eyes gradually subsided.

“If you don’t have the strength to make it alone, then find people you can trust. That’s basic common sense, isn’t it?”

Who’d have thought the plagiarist could say something like that? Not bad.

Her words had an immediate effect. People began looking at each other with embarrassed expressions. With the right words, they might find it in them to band together again. Just a few sentences had drastically improved their survival odds. I looked at Suyeong and spoke up.

“Hey, that line you just used…”

“Got it? So, do things right!”

Suyeong turned and ran, leaving her parting shot. Out of energy, she didn’t get far before she was gasping for breath.

“Hah… hah! Why are you chasing me?!”

“Do you even plagiarize things you say in real life?”

「“If you can’t get strong enough to protect yourself, find allies you can trust.”」

It was a line Yu Junghyeok had thrown at a survivor asking for advice in TWSA. Suyeong yelled.

“That’s not plagiarism! That line’s from my novel!”

“Then why are you running?”

“…Just because! Why are you chasing me, huh?”

Even now, she wouldn’t admit it. I grabbed her by the collar.

“I saved you. Now you owe me.”

“Owe you what?!”

Seeing her tense up, I grinned.

“If you’ve got a power bank, hand it over. You must have a few on you.”

Suyeong’s face crumpled in frustration.

I hadn’t planned on bringing Suyeong along from the start.

Honestly, with all the stunts she’d pulled, she was just as vile as any other criminal here.

But her [Avatar] skill was useful, and there were things I needed to find out. Besides, she might be useful in clearing the current sub-scenario…

“I don’t have a power bank. Lost everything at Gwanghwamun.”

“Then at least hand over your novel.”

“No way. If you want to read it, pay up.”

“With all the platforms shut down, how am I supposed to pay?”

I quickly swiped her phone. She reached out, grabbing my shoulder.

“Hey! Give it back!”

The file was right on her home screen. Too easy.

—SSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor.txt

Let’s see… As I opened the file, I felt a bit tense. What if, like mine, her file was invisible to others?

But that worry was pointless.

She’d been in the middle of reading, so it opened to the last page she’d viewed.

「…Yu Junghyeok quietly checked his status window. He wanted to take a look at the “Eye of the Sage” he had just obtained.

+

<Character Information>

Name: Yu Junghyeon

Age: 27

Sponsor: ???

Exclusive attributes: Regressor <3rd Round> (Myth), Pro Gamer (Rare)

Exclusive skills: [Eye of the Enlightened Lv. 1], [Close Combat Lv. 1], [Weapon Proficiency Lv. 1], [Mental Barrier Lv. 1], [Lie Detection Lv. 4]...

Stigma: [Return from Death Lv. 3]

Total stats: [Vitality Lv. 24], [Strength Lv. 24], [Agility Lv. 25], [Mana Lv. 23]

+

Yu Junghyeon checked his status window and chuckled softly.

“Haha, I finally got the Eye of the Enlightened. This round is off to a good start.”」

As I read, I looked up at Han Suyeong in disbelief.

“You really have no shame.”

“…What?”

“These character details are ripped straight out of TWSA. Couldn’t you at least have changed up the structure a bit?”

Suyeong hesitated before muttering.

“TWSA has ‘patron constellation,’ while mine has ‘sponsor.’ Completely different.”

“…Sure, if you say so. But what about the protagonist’s name? And there’s even a typo in the middle—you wrote ‘Junghyeon’ instead of ‘Junghyeok.’ Did you copy-paste this? TWSA author would cry if they saw this.”

Han Suyeong flushed red and yelled.

“So what?! What do you want to know?”

“How far did you read in the original?”

“99… Hey! Are you done with that or what?”

So, she’d only made it to Chapter 99. I wondered what the author would think if they knew the second most avid reader of their work was a plagiarist.

They’d probably say, “Thank you for reading up to Chapter 99. You truly are a devoted reader,” delighted by the view count boost. I sighed and asked.

“If you stopped at Chapter 99, then you know the location of the ‘meteorites’ that’ll show up in the fifth scenario, right? Does anything about them come up in your novel?”

“My novel doesn’t have any ‘meteorites’!”

That was surprising. I’d expected her to copy that too.

“But it does have ‘Sealing Stones’!”

Of course.

“We’re about to go look for a ‘Sealing Stone,’ so get ready.”

“You mean a ‘meteorite,’ right?”

“Let’s stay consistent with the terminology. Anyway, you know how to find them, right?”

“I’ve found one before, but…”

The meteorite containing the Fire Dragon species I’d killed was something Suyeong had located. I’d nearly died because of her. Come to think of it, I’d put the Fire Dragon corpses up for sale in the auction—were they still unsold?

While Han Suyeong looked troubled, I called out to Biyong.

‘Biyeong.’

No answer came. The scenario had been broken in such an unexpected way that the dokkaebis managing Seoul Dome were probably holding an emergency meeting.

Not that I expected much from that meeting, they’d probably say something like, “Well, the scenario is a bust, so let’s just push for maximum coin sales…”

But a moment later, both the “Auction House” and “Dokkaebi Compendium” windows popped up. Looks like Biyeong didn’t have time to answer messages, but still got the job done.

[Multiple constellations express discontent over the sudden advertisement.]

Of course, they hadn’t forgotten to throw in ads either. I opened the Marketplace and checked my sales history.

[The item Scale of the Fire Dragon sold for 8,000 coins.]

[The item Bone of the Fire Dragon sold for 5,000 coins.]

To my surprise, someone had bought the expensive items.

Even the ones I hadn’t meant to sell.

[The item Bone of the Fire Dragon sold for 22,222 coins.]

…I’d listed that one just for storage, and someone actually bought it.

Whoever bought the Fire Dragon bone must’ve really needed it badly.

If I’d known, I would have set the price to 99,999. The only incarnations with that kind of financial backing right now would be Anna Croft with her Nebula sponsors, India’s Ranveer Khan, or China’s Feihu. Anyway, whoever it was, thanks.

I bought a few necessary items from the dokkaebi bundle, and as I finished, Han Suyeong spoke up.

“So why do you want me to come along? You could just go alone.”

“You said earlier that the most important thing in a survival story is finding allies you can trust.”

“…?”

Suyeong eyed me suspiciously. I pulled out an item I’d just bought and handed it to her.

“Here, sign this.”

[You have used the item Temporary Pledge.]

<Temporary Pledge>

1. Kim Dokja (henceforth, Party A) and Han Suyeong (henceforth, Party B) agree to cooperate until the current sub-scenario concludes.

2. Party A and Party B will not harm each other until the current sub-scenario ends.

3. During the contract, Party A and Party B will alternate sleeping shifts to avoid the “Sleep Penalty.”

…

6. During the contract period, Party B will follow Party A’s instructions regarding group actions.

7. During the contract period, Party B will assist Party A in clearing the scenario and comply with Kim Dokja’s orders, except in cases where her life is at risk.

8. During the contract period, Party A guarantees Party B’s right to life.

9. This contract will expire upon the conclusion of the sub-scenario, and any violation will result in the destruction of the body.

The Temporary Pledge wasn’t as powerful as a “patron contract,” but it was ideal for short-term agreements. Suyeong gave me an incredulous look.

“You think I’m actually going to sign this?”

“Suit yourself.”

“Why am I listed as Party B? I’ve never been Party B in my life.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”

Suyeong ground her teeth. She’d sign it, though. Drained of her magic power, she didn’t have much choice. Wandering around Seocho-gu alone with all those roving wanderers was as good as a death sentence, and she needed someone to watch her back for now.

“…Fine, I’ll sign. But I have conditions.”

“Name them.”

“We share information. Deal? There’s a lot I want to ask you, too, and you’d better be honest. I picked up [Lie Detection], you know.”

She’d already gotten a skill even I hadn’t managed to obtain?

[The character Han Suyeong has activated the skill Lie Detection Lv. 1!]

…She wasn’t bluffing.

Suyeong immediately went on the offensive.

“What’s your attribute?”

“I don’t know.”

[The character Han Suyeong has confirmed that your statement is true.]

Han Suyeong looked bewildered, rubbing her temple.

“…Is this thing broken?”

“No, it’s working fine. Next question, hurry up. I’ll answer only three. You’ve already used one.”

“Is it even possible not to know your own attribute?”

“Absolutely. Next.”

She narrowed her eyes and reluctantly continued.

“Why did you give up the throne?”

Of course she’d ask that.

“Because of you, my whole plan fell apart. Do you know how hard I worked, how much I sacrificed dealing with those idiot apostles just to stop the apocalypse? If I’d taken that throne, I’d already have the next scenario prepped and ready by now…”

“If you’d taken the throne, Seoul would have been destroyed.”

[The character Han Suyeong has confirmed that your statement is true.]

Suyeong frowned.

“Why does it keep acting up like this?”

“It’s not acting up. And it wasn’t just you. Anyone who took that throne would’ve doomed us all.”

[The character Han Suyeong has confirmed that your statement is true.]

Suyeong’s eyes widened.

“…How do you know that? How far have you read? How do you know something I don’t?”

“I’m not a renouncer.”

[The character Han Suyeong has confirmed that your statement is true.]

Suyeong’s shock was evident as she stammered.

“…How much of TWSA have you read?”

“Your three questions are up.”

“This is the most important one! Just answer me!”

Suyeong’s jaw trembled.

“Tell me it’s not true… No way… You… There’s no way…”

At that moment, the sound of hoofbeats echoed in the distance.

I quickly dragged the muttering Han Suyeong behind a nearby building for cover.

Something was coming.

From its shape, it seemed human…? I used [Character Profile] on the approaching figures stirring up a cloud of dust.

[The information of this character cannot be accessed via Character Profile.]

[This individual is not registered in Character Profile.]

…They weren’t characters?

Upon closer inspection, the figures running toward us were covered in animalistic fur.

They had human faces, but their bodies were like those of bipedal wolves, towering nearly twice the height of an average human. At the front, one creature held a man by the throat.

“Grrrr… Where are they?”

“T-they were here! They destroyed the entire ‘coin farm’…”

With a sickening crunch, the man’s neck snapped. It was one of the wanderers who’d been loitering outside Mino Soft. The creatures pounced, tearing into his corpse with abandon.

I had a pretty good idea of what these things were.

Suyeong murmured, as if reaching the same conclusion.

“…Inhuman species?”

Wanderers had their own ways of surviving. Some stayed human and ran “coin farms,” while others abandoned their humanity to take the path of a new species.

Roaaaaar!

Though Inhuman species had growth limits, they grew faster than humans in the early and mid-game because they had forsaken humanity. The “demons” that had appeared due to the dokkaebi’s meddling were also a kind of Inhuman species. Judging by their appearance, these ones were probably werewolves…

“…They must have gained the power of a meteorite.”

On the cusp of the fifth scenario, this was the only way for a human to evolve into a werewolf. The wanderers had already obtained one of the meteorites that had fallen on Seocho-gu.

Suyeong let out a small gasp.

“I know that guy. He’s a renouncer.”

“…How do you know?”

“I just can. It’s my privilege as the very last renouncer.”

“Privilege?”

“When people give up on the story, I can see their location and their attributes.”

She said it with a hint of pride. Come to think of it, I remembered Jeong Minseop mentioning something like this.

Not long after the scenario began, the “First Apostle” had visited the renouncers. If Han Suyeong had a skill to locate renouncers, it would explain how she’d managed to find them so easily. She could have just used her avatar skill to seek them out.

Suyeong continued.

“That’s why I suspected you. A renouncer, but undetectable by my skill…”

Suyeong gave me a sidelong glance, then looked back at the Inhuman species.

“There were a few who rejected my offer. That wanderer is one of them. Most of them died early on, so I didn’t think much of it. But he’s managed to grow quite strong…”

“Who is he?”

“His name is Song Minwoo.”

Song Minwoo?

Not a name that had ever appeared in the story.

But it sounded familiar…

[The Tier-6 Inhuman species Werewolf Song Minwoo is searching the surroundings.]

He was scanning the area from afar.

Ah… Could it be?

Fragments of memory surfaced. The dream I’d had just hours ago. Memories of high school, of being surrounded by bullies. Years had passed, but I was sure that face was his.

Song Minwoo… No doubt about it. But this guy was a renouncer? How could a thug like him be reading web novels?

“How far did he read?”

“That guy… He’s strange. Different from other renouncers.”

“What do you mean?”

Suyeong hesitated before answering.

“From what I can see, he’s… ‘a renouncer who only read Chapter 173.’”

At that moment, Song Minwoo’s nose twitched, and he turned his head in our direction.

Those yellow eyes seemed to say one thing.

「Found you.」

The werewolf lunged toward us, claws tearing into the earth as he charged.

Footnotes:

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