Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 783

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 783: Episode 36: The Real Kim Dokja (4)

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The air of a Scenario, which he had not breathed in a long time. Feeling its familiar yet unfamiliar density, Lee Gilyeong recalled the advice of the Kim Dokja of old.

「“That's right. Breathe in like that, then let it out. Just repeat it slowly.”」

It was the breathing method Dokja had taught him when Gilyeong said he wanted to learn martial arts someday.

「“What cultivation method is this?”」

When he asked, Dokja scratched his cheek awkwardly and answered,

「“It's just the deep breathing I do before reading. It helps me focus.”」

Yu Junghyeok had criticized it as “the teachings of an amateur who knows nothing about martial arts,” but after that, Gilyeong often recalled the breathing method whenever something happened.

Breathe in slowly, then let it out.

「“Think of every breath as carrying a story.”

“Stories?”

“The stories of those who lived before us.”」

Breathing the same way as someone he respected.

It did not make Gilyeong especially stronger. Still, simply copying that breathing made him feel as though he had taken a step closer to Dokja's world.

So this was how Dokja-hyung breathed and lived.

“Breathe slowly.”

Gilyeong rubbed Ye Hyeonu's back as the boy breathed roughly.

“Breathe in, then let it out. Keep going.”

Watching Ye Hyeonu gradually lose consciousness, Gilyeong thought again about why he had come to this Scenario. Why he had accepted the risk of the Plausibility Backlash and endured even his companions' criticism to come here.

「Lee Gilyeong had something he wanted to ask Kim Dokja.」

That was why he had come without a plan.

He had accepted the bizarre position of Old School and even accepted the Scenario penalty as the cost of coming here.

But once he arrived, he did not know whom to ask.

Who was the real Kim Dokja?

Was it this boy, who resembled his hyung when he was young? Or the woman who gave off an atmosphere similar to his hyung?

Or was it that man, who resembled his hyung most of all?

If not, was it that monster, who looked the least like his hyung but in whom he could feel his hyung's soul?

[The Great Demon 73rd Demon King is watching you.]

The Great Demon stared in this direction with hollow eyes.

Looking at the Great Demon, Gilyeong felt the truth in Lee Jihye's words.

Perhaps Dokja-hyung was gone now.

[Who are you?]

Gilyeong threw a question back at the Constellations asking him.

“That's what I want to ask. Why are you here?”

[Descendant, do you know who we are?]

“Hongik.”

The Constellations' expressions changed for the first time when he spoke that name.

[An unidentified nebula has revealed its name!]

[The Constellations of the nebula Hongik have revealed their existence!]

[How do you know us?]

“It would be strange not to when you're scattering fables around everywhere.”

Gilyeong was not Kim Dokja, but he breathed like Dokja and thought like Dokja.

That let him see the world as Dokja did.

When he slowly blinked, he could sense the fables they possessed. In particular, he heard faint drumbeats from the Constellation at their center.

Listening to the sound, like raindrops striking the earth, Gilyeong opened his mouth.

“The Master of Rain?”

The Master of Rain.

One of the three fabled-grade Constellations serving Seonin Wanggeom, the master of Hongik. The god of rain who freely controlled the rain in the skies, Rain Master.

[You truly recognize me, descendant.]

Rain Master nodded, surprised by Gilyeong's discerning eye.

[That's right. I am Rain Master, the Master of Rain. Who are you?]

“Just a student who missed his graduation date.”

Rain Master pondered the meaning of those words for a moment before asking,

[What does that mean?]

“You don't need to know the details. More importantly, how did you get in here when you aren't students? There should be restrictions on entering the Recycling Center.”

[I have no obligation to answer an insolent descendant.]

“Hmm. I see. You used Mother of the Founder's power to get in, didn't you? Ah, you don't need to answer. Your expression tells me I'm right.”

Mother of the Founder, Ungnyeo, was a fabled-grade Constellation of Hongik.

Since Ungnyeo had been born a bear, she had close ties to the Twelve Zodiacs.

What if Ungnyeo had contracted with the Twelve Zodiacs, allowing Hongik to borrow their modifiers?

“You stole the modifiers of weaker ones and crawled your way in here?”

[We did not steal them. We...]

“Ah, so you're working together?”

He could roughly see the whole picture.

The Recycling Center was a playground woven together by the Gourmet Association and the Administration Bureau. In the end, the Historical-grade Constellations of the Twelve Zodiacs could only become playthings in this Scenario.

That was why the Twelve Zodiacs had made their decision.

If they would be playthings either way, they would borrow the power of another nebula. They would find a way to fulfill their long-cherished wish, even if they had to do it that way.

“Monkey That Fell from a Tree! Primordial Cow! Red Mountain Lord!”

Gilyeong called out the names of the Twelve Zodiacs who had lent their modifiers to Hongik one by one.

“Can you hear me? You won't get what you want by doing this. How long are you going to live depending on another nebula? Why won't you even try standing on your own two feet?”

Tzzzt.

Sparks flew from the Incarnation bodies of Rain Master and the other Constellations.

The Constellations of the Twelve Zodiacs were reacting to Gilyeong's words.

[Descendant, my patience has its limits.]

Rain Master stiffened, perhaps growing impatient.

[If you continue to interfere with us, I will have no choice but to remove you.]

“You? Remove me?”

[I do not know who you are, but...]

Rain Master raised a hand into the air. More than ten Constellations who had joined forces against the Great Demon flew up into the sky.

All to remove a single person, Lee Gilyeong.

Looking at the Constellations' shadows filling the sky, Gilyeong said,

“Right. You really have no idea who I am.”

The Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds emerged from Gilyeong's cloak and shone. Demonic energy spewed from the boy's heart and flowed into the blade, soon forming a sword aura more than ten meters long that painted the sky.

[Th-that is...!]

Gilyeong was not skilled with a sword.

He did not properly know martial arts, nor had he ever learned them.

But he had watched from the sidelines.

The way the people he admired fought.

When they swung their swords, how they used Mana, how they controlled their strength. Gilyeong had seen all of it and reviewed it countless times in his mind.

One review became two. Two soon became three, then four, then five. He reviewed it again and again. How many times had he done so?

Gilyeong thought,

「I think I can do it too.」

Lee Gilyeong's imitation.

「A trajectory that shatters the sky in a single strike.」

Sky Splitter Sword Art.

With a deafening roar, the tip of the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds cleaved through the sky. Rain Master barely blocked the sword strike by swinging both hands, then cried out,

[Good heavens. Could you be...!]

Gilyeong's sword ceaselessly carved through the sky.

He slashed, then slashed again. He slashed until the sky truly split apart.

The Constellations screamed from all directions. Fierce lightning struck, swallowing even those screams.

[Rain Master! I never heard there was a monster like...]

A pale-faced Constellation shouted, and Gilyeong stopped his sword for the first time.

“You were like this in our worldline too, but you're truly disappointing here as well.”

Patter.

The Constellations fell like hail.

One, two, three, four. Constellations who had lost arms and legs to sword strikes groaned in pain.

Looking down at them, Gilyeong said,

“How long are you going to covet only the fables of later generations? You have plenty of good fables yourselves.”

[What?]

“Show those ‘descendants’ you talk about something worth following. Isn't that what the spirit of Hongik is about?”

Rain Master looked down at the fallen stars. Some had lost an arm or a leg, but no star had suffered fatal damage to its true body.

The attacks had clearly avoided their vital points.

Rain Master looked at those Constellations, then at Gilyeong, who still had not lowered the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds.

After hesitating for a moment, Rain Master asked,

[Could you be a friend of the Oldest Dream?]

Gilyeong slowly nodded.

Rain Master sighed and muttered,

[So the words of the Mythical-grade Constellations were true...]

“What words?”

[Thank you for showing mercy with your sword, friend of the Oldest Dream.]

At Rain Master's signal, the Constellations' Incarnation bodies all ended their Possession.

[The misaligned context of modifiers has returned to its proper place.]

The Constellations of Hongik, who had entered the Recycling Center by borrowing modifiers, were returning to their places one after another.

“Goodbye. Please give Mother of the Founder my regards.”

Rain Master looked at Gilyeong with an incredulous expression until the very end, but disappeared without a retort.

Only after Rain Master had completely vanished did Gilyeong finally let out a breath.

“At least they were someone I could reason with.”

Perhaps because of the Scenario penalty? Despite using Mana for only a moment, the penalty was immense.

[The Scenario penalty is encroaching upon your entire body!]

If Rain Master had come at him seriously, Gilyeong would have had no choice but to release his limit.

That would have caused a serious problem for this worldline's Plausibility. Just as he thought he could finally relax for a moment,

[Impressive.]

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Applause echoed.

When he turned toward the sound, someone stood there.

[As expected of the Kim Dokja Company.]

There was that distinctively mocking tone.

An Incarnation body wearing a black cloak like Gilyeong's stood there.

[To intimidate the Constellations with only enough Status to suppress the backlash, then send them away through nothing but your gift of gab... Dokja would praise a sight like that.]

“You.”

Far more horrifying demonic energy flowed from Gilyeong's entire body.

“Asmodeus.”

Gilyeong's figure vanished with those words. His right hand shot forward like lightning and collided with Asmodeus's left hand. A violent Mana wave burst out, sending both figures flying back.

“Was this your doing? What happened to hyung too...”

[Hmm? Who do you mean by ‘hyung’?]

Asmodeus answered with a sinister smile.

[There are far too many hyungs of yours here.]

“Where is Suyeong-noona? You made Suyeong-noona disappear too, didn't you?”

[Goodness, you're saying Han Suyeong died because of me?]

“Suyeong-noona isn't dead!”

[She died crushed beneath the price of her own sins.]

Gilyeong cried out and swung the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds.

Asmodeus smiled when he saw the demonic energy contained in the sword strike.

[You've become rather skilled at handling demonic energy. But surely this is not your limit?]

Asmodeus lightly snapped his fingers, and more than ten high-ranking demons hiding throughout the brush charged out.

They were Constellations affiliated with the Gourmet Association.

Gilyeong asked with a sneer,

“You think that's enough to deal with me?”

[Why? Isn't it?]

“You seem to have forgotten who I am too.”

The high-ranking demons charging at him were each formidable beings.

Gilyeong hesitated no longer.

「I'm releasing the limit.」

It did not matter if it caused a Plausibility Backlash. If he did not remove Asmodeus here and now, it would cause an even greater problem later.

Gilyeong made that judgment.

‘Help me.’

He asked his contractor.

The Demon God who had once been his Patron.

‘Ruler of the Abyss.’

The Status of a Mythical-grade Constellation spewed from Gilyeong's entire body. Detecting the anomaly at once, the Star Stream reacted.

[The Plausibility of the Star Stream has begun to move!]

Gilyeong knew it too. If he used this power, his Incarnation body would be in danger as well.

But if it was only for a moment.

If he killed Asmodeus in this moment and wiped out the Constellations of the Gourmet Association.

Kwooooom!

Hellish locusts poured from Gilyeong's left hand. They were the Demon God's locusts, which devoured every living thing in the world.

[No, I know perfectly well who you are, Lee Gilyeong.]

“What?”

[Insect Lord. Ruler of the Monarch-Level Insects. Contractor of the Demon God Abaddon!]

Asmodeus was smiling.

[Hahahaha! Imprisoned Demon God! Run wild a little more! Soak yourself in the air of a Scenario you have returned to after so long!]

Gilyeong's expression hardened. Sensing that something was wrong, he grasped his left hand with his right in an attempt to call back the locusts.

“Abaddon.”

But Abaddon did not stop.

“Abaddon! Stop! Abaddon!”

The pouring locusts soon devoured even the Constellations and Asmodeus's Incarnation body. Then they began rushing toward the 73rd Demon King, who had been staring blankly in this direction.

“No! Abaddon! Stop! Stop!”

The charging locusts began gnawing at the Great Demon's entire body.

“Hyung, hyung isn't the enemy! He isn't the enemy!”

Gilyeong struck the left hand pouring out locusts again and again.

How long had he done that?

Only after his left hand was covered in blood did the locusts gradually stop moving.

But the Great Demon's entire body was already covered by the swarm.

“Hyung.”

Gilyeong approached him like a madman.

This could not be happening. He had not come to this world to see this.

That was when the sky collapsed and an enormous dam of Plausibility burst.

An immense Plausibility Backlash blew out from the place where the Great Demon stood.

「The Star Stream always balances the needle of the scale.」

Abaddon was a Mythical-grade Constellation.

Since Gilyeong had manifested this power, the Star Stream would now move a needle fitting for his Status.

No Constellations moved beyond the sky. No one outside this Scenario dared to place themselves on the other pan of the scale opposite the Demon God Abaddon.

Yet his left hand trembled uncontrollably.

The Demon God coiled within him was giving a warning.

「Run, kid.」

Gilyeong had never heard Abaddon speak like that before.

[The Status of Great Demon 73rd Demon King is increasing!]

Along with a message from somewhere, a brilliant light began flowing out through the locusts.

[The Status of Great Demon 73rd Demon King is increasing!]

...

How many times did the same message echo?

The nearby swarm of locusts melted away, and something could be seen walking out from the grave of insects.

「A being who had stood on the opposite pan of this Scenario's scale from the beginning.」

Gilyeong stared blankly at the sight.