WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 774: Episode 34: Brothers (5)
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I turned to follow Yu Junghyeok's gaze.
There was the Master of the Spear. And my Incarnation body, sprawled on the ground with its abdomen pierced by the Moon Halberd, blood pouring out.
I couldn't tell whether Junghyeok was looking at the Master of the Spear, the Moon Halberd, or my Incarnation body.
“You bastard.”
One thing was certain. Junghyeok was furious.
Perhaps he was enraged that a demonic species had dared steal his weapon. Or perhaps he was angry at the one who had hurt me, even though I was still useful to him.
Watching Junghyeok immediately release his Status, I reflexively shouted.
“Yu Junghyeok!”
The sheer scale of the Status he released was alarming.
[Truth's Restraint has activated.]
[Some of character Yu Junghyeok's memories have been sealed.]
[All of character Yu Junghyeok's overall stats have temporarily exceeded the Scenario's restriction limits!]
[Explosive power is surging from character Yu Junghyeok's entire body!]
He was releasing his Fable Engraving already?
His first Fable Engraving, Truth's Restraint, sealed some of his memories simply by being used.
What memory had he lost this time?
“Yu Junghyeok! Hey, you bastard!”
Perhaps Junghyeok hadn't noticed that I was possessing Huiwon's body. He didn't even look this way.
A nameless spear was gripped in his hand. Deep Mana was gathering around its spearhead.
The Master of the Spear, sensing danger instinctively, let out a shout.
[You bastard!]
Mana shot out like a ray of light, leaving a dark trail through the air.
The Master of the Spear staggered as he blocked Junghyeok's blow. His expression changed, seemingly surprised by the weight of the Mana.
[I have been impressed many times today.]
The Master of the Spear immediately released his Status and began thrusting.
The thrusts he had diligently trained for centuries poured from the Moon Halberd.
Rumbblee!
Even amid the storm of thrusts surging like waves, Junghyeok didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow.
[Sage's Eye] gleamed gold.
Junghyeok's eyes, which had already reached a higher realm, analyzed the Mana structure of the incoming thrusts.
“The spear art of the Jinju Eon Clan?”
The Master of the Spear flinched, narrowed his eyes, and replied.
[The Eon Clan was exterminated. This is simply my spear art.]
“The Eon Clan's spear art resembles the movement of waves.”
Junghyeok rode the waves created by the spear's Mana. He deflected some waves and twisted away from others. Amid the barrage of thrusts that seemed impossible to evade, he calmly advanced step by step.
“I once heard that a master from the Eon Clan sold the family's martial arts.”
The Master of the Spear continued thrusting without answering. Swift and heavy thrusts. Yet none of them reached Junghyeok.
It was, in short, a technical limitation. The ultimate technique that could be displayed within the bounds of a limited Status.
Even so, those thrusts couldn't strike Junghyeok. It proved that Junghyeok's understanding of martial arts was greater.
“Is this all the realm you reached after selling your family and household?”
[I am the Master of the Spear!]
Unable to endure it any longer, the Master of the Spear growled.
[I trained with the spear longer than anyone else, and this modifier was the reward for my efforts. The Star Stream has acknowledged me. I am the Spear King of the Star Stream!]
“Spear King? It seems you have never met the Progenitor of Humanity.”
The Progenitor of Humanity. I remembered that Constellation as well.
Of all the Constellations Junghyeok had fought, that star wielded weapons best.
“I have seen more than enough fools who call themselves ‘king.’”
Deep darkness filled Junghyeok's voice.
“Sword King. Blade Emperor. Fighting King. Fist Emperor... Fools who claimed to have trained for centuries in the Dark Dimension's Time Stratum and swore that they would one day take the Constellations' heads.”
The Master of the Spear's expression changed with every title Junghyeok mentioned.
[W-What nonsense are you talking about? How do you know their names?]
“You are the worst among them.”
With a heavy impact, the Master of the Spear's body was thrown back.
Blood spilled from his mouth. Junghyeok's last blow had dealt serious damage.
The Master of the Spear stared at Junghyeok as if he couldn't believe it.
[That cannot be. It cannot be.]
As Junghyeok took a step forward, the Master of the Spear took a step back.
[I am the Master of the Spear! For centuries, I have trained with nothing but a spear...]
“Only a few centuries.”
The Master of the Spear's shoulders trembled at Junghyeok's indifferent voice.
[What... are you?]
“A human who has trained a little longer than a few centuries.”
[Bullshit...]
A harsh scraping rang out. The two locked spearheads whirled, pouring out Mana.
The Master of the Spear didn't know how long Junghyeok had lived. He knew nothing of what kind of time, what kind of rounds, he had endured to reach this place.
Still, he sensed it instinctively.
The being before him was a monster. A pitch-black darkness that his starlight could never illuminate.
[The Constellation Master of the Spear has opened its Status!]
[The Administration Bureau warns Master of the Spear.]
He feared the unknown lurking within that darkness.
[The Status of the Constellation Master of the Spear has exceeded the Scenario's Plausibility limit!]
[Some Constellations are beginning to take an interest in this battle.]
That was why the Master of the Spear made a decision.
Even if it meant breaking the Scenario's rules, he would personally kill the monster growing before him.
[Perhaps it is fortunate that I met you now.]
A backlash swept through the Master of the Spear's entire body as he endured the Plausibility.
[I will tear you apart and kill you before you grow any further.]
The two spears collided, and another thunderous roar erupted.
I called to Junghyeok through the exploding clouds of dust.
“Yu Junghyeok!”
This was bad. If he fought here, Junghyeok would lose. Even if Junghyeok surpassed his opponent in skill and experience, the opponent was still a Constellation.
Rumbblee!
Despite my concerns, Junghyeok was fighting well.
The spear art of the Jinju Eon Clan and Junghyeok's sky splitter intertwined, brilliantly lighting up the night sky.
It was an evenly matched battle.
Even though I knew I should help Junghyeok, I couldn't take my eyes off that dazzling battlefield.
[The Constellation Reclining Dragon is absorbed in the battle.]
[The Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon is watching Yu Junghyeok's battle.]
[Some Constellations hope this battle will not end.]
The Master of the Spear was a top-tier being even among Historical-grade Constellations. He was a formidable enemy whom even Huiwon, after opening Transcendent Form, First Stage, couldn't defeat.
Yet Junghyeok was matching the Master of the Spear with only one Fable Engraving released.
「In that short time, Yu Junghyeok had grown again.」
Once again, I realized that this was Yu Junghyeok.
He was the protagonist of TWSA and the strongest Incarnation aboveground.
And this damned world was a place where even a human with that overwhelming talent couldn't reach a true ending after regressing thousands of times.
Crunch.
The balance of the evenly matched battle tilted. Blood began spraying from Junghyeok's shoulder and thigh.
[Hahahaha! How unfortunate!]
The Master of the Spear laughed as if he were enjoying this.
Seeing Junghyeok's stiff expression, I quickly realized the problem.
The spearhead of his nameless spear had worn down, and the weapon was swaying as though it would break at any moment.
I gathered every last bit of strength and forced Huiwon's body up.
Then I rushed into the battlefield.
Sharp spear strikes like waves surrounded my entire body.
[An interference.]
A rising wave casually sent Huiwon's approaching body flying.
Even as I was flung away by the wave, I didn't lose consciousness. What came next was important.
[The Exclusive Skill Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint has deactivated!]
While the Master of the Spear focused on Huiwon, I awakened in my original body. A distant agony surged from the hole in my side, but I gritted my teeth and endured it.
I immediately took the sword from my pocket and threw it to Junghyeok.
“Yu Junghyeok!”
The sword flew swiftly along the [Way of the Wind] and landed in Junghyeok's right hand.
It wasn't a holy sword like Ravebringer, but it was a weapon that could display power comparable to one against demonic species.
“Unbreakable Faith.”
Junghyeok immediately poured Mana into Unbreakable Faith.
[You have activated Blade of Faith.]
[Unbreakable Faith's special option has activated.]
[The Aether attribute has been converted into Divinity.]
Junghyeok's Aether Blade, converted into Divinity, drew a trail through the air.
The Master of the Spear's left arm flew away as if in an illusion.
The shocked Master of the Spear muttered.
[You, that sword...]
Junghyeok gave him no chance to rest and pressed forward. His tyrannical Sword Aura, resonating with Blade of Faith, shredded the Master of the Spear's waves.
It should have been impossible due to the difference in Status, but this Scenario was different.
The demonic species in this forest had been designed to suffer tremendous damage from items with the Divinity attribute.
[Arrrgh!]
Even so, the Master of the Spear resisted to the end.
Red and white Mana collided, causing a massive explosion.
Holding Huiwon in my arms, I reflexively rolled across the ground.
The entire forest blazed white as the Mana shockwave erupted.
Scorching heat brushed past the back of my head.
A moment later, I raised my head and looked toward the center of the explosion.
Junghyeok, battered and torn up, was catching his breath with his sword stuck in the ground.
The Incarnation body of the Master of the Spear, who had stood across from him, was nowhere to be seen. Only the Moon Halberd embedded in the ground trembled as if it recognized its true owner.
[The Constellation Master of the Spear has suffered terrible damage and withdrawn from the Scenario!]
Junghyeok had won.
[You have defeated high-ranking demon Master of the Spear!]
[You have become a major Contributor to this Scenario!]
[You may acquire additional rewards upon finally clearing the Scenario.]
[A new fable that is sprouting is affected by your achievement.]
Junghyeok gripped his Moon Halberd from the ground, then turned to me.
“You were alive.”
“Were you hoping I would die?”
I answered with a faint smile.
Honestly, though, I felt like I would die soon. Too much blood had flowed from my pierced side. My vision flickered as though I might pass out at any moment.
Junghyeok glared at me with bright eyes, seemingly displeased. Then he took out a golden pill from his pocket and threw it to me.
After that, he sat beside me and crossed his legs.
“We need to conserve our strength to defeat the Great Demons. I wasted unnecessary strength because of you.”
Junghyeok immediately began Circulation and Breathing.
I was dumbfounded by his one-sided declaration. Then I looked down at the pill he had given me.
A moment later, I was so startled that my eyes narrowed to slits.
My God, this was a Greater Restoration Pill.
What was a Greater Restoration Pill?
It was the martial world's greatest elixir, granting sixty years' worth of Mana with a single pill.
He had given me such a treasure just for recovery?
Was this bastard actually a good person?
At the foolish thought that suddenly came to me, I shook my head.
He wasn't a bad person, but he wasn't a good one either.
It simply meant that Junghyeok was equally desperate about this Scenario.
I split the Greater Restoration Pill in half, ate one half, and fed the other half to the collapsed Huiwon.
Huiwon had been convulsing from Madness's side effects, but she gradually stabilized as the Greater Restoration Pill took effect.
I could finally breathe a little easier, but the situation was far from good. Above all, there were now two more people who couldn't move.
―Author!
A welcome Telepathy arrived at just the right moment.
―I'm sorry. I was going to help right away, but I got held up too...
Ji Eunyoo poked her head out from between the tall bushes, covered in dust from head to toe. Judging by the shallow cuts on her arms and legs, there must have been more demonic species left in the area.
Thinking this was fortunate, I waved.
As if she already knew what I was going to say, Eunyoo spoke first.
“Don't say anything. Just stay there.”
“...”
“You saw what they were like. There were three more high-ranking demons like that. No, there might have been even more coming after them.”
Three high-ranking demons had followed Gu Seona and Kim Dokja Company.
If even one monster like the Master of the Spear was among them, the situation wasn't good.
“We can't leave them to die.”
“I know. But...”
Thanks to taking the Greater Restoration Pill, the wound in my side was rapidly healing. There was nothing stopping me from moving immediately.
“I know Seona-ssi is hostile toward me. Still, shouldn't we talk to her? If there is a misunderstanding, we should clear it up.”
“What if she isn't someone we can talk to? What if Gu Seona-ssi is an evildoer we never imagined...”
I silently looked at Eunyoo.
Perhaps feeling my gaze, she closed her mouth too.
Sometimes, silence brings deeper understanding than a hundred explanations. That was especially true for Eunyoo and me.
We had both made the same Work.
She understood the spaces between the lines I left behind better than anyone. Even if I didn't write it, she would already know what I wanted to say.
And she would know better than anyone that the sentence could never be revised.
Eunyoo lowered her head and spoke quietly.
“Ha... Is this how Yu Sangah feels?”
“I'll be back soon, so stay here. Please take care of those two.”
“If anything happens, I'll run away alone, so come back quickly.”
With a bitter smile, I glanced at Junghyeok, who was in Circulation and Breathing, and Huiwon, who was unconscious.
Then I immediately ran down the forest path.
Traces of Seona's group and the foul aura of the high-ranking demons pursuing them remained throughout the grass.
A powerful aura came from nearby.
My heart pounded.
It was somehow familiar.
I knew someone with an aura like this.
Demon King of Salvation.
It felt slightly different, but it definitely resembled my Patron Constellation.
Could Kim Dokja be somewhere nearby?
At last, I pushed through the bushes and found the corpses of fallen high-ranking demons.
The mangled bodies of demonic species torn apart miserably.
When I slowly raised my head, I met the gaze of someone standing beyond the bushes, looking at me.
There stood my brother, identical to me.
Footnotes:
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