WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 83: Episode 17 - SSS-grade Talent (2)

Skrrrrk!

With every movement of Sangah’s daggers, her enemies were shredded alive.

Amazing. Was this really the Sangah I knew?

Very few large-scale combat skills could achieve this level of destruction against multiple opponents. At this point, only Gong Pildu’s [Armed Zone] or Han Suyeong’s [Avatar] came to mind. Yet Sangah was handling this without any such large-scale skills.

How had she become so strong? Was this what talent looked like?

As if reading my thoughts, Junghyeok’s voice broke in.

―She’s growing faster without you around. It seems you have no talent for nurturing your allies. Hyeonseong was the same.

―Hey, I helped her a lot in the beginning! That’s why she’s this strong now.

Even though I hadn’t done much, I wanted to believe that was the case.

Damn it. Why did she get stronger only when I wasn’t around?

It made me feel useless.

“Hey.”

Han Suyeong’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I nodded belatedly. I couldn’t keep standing there, mesmerized by Yu Sangah’s brilliance. The enemies outnumbered her, and she was still fighting alone.

“Sangah! Over here!”

At my shout, Sangah’s movements hesitated. She didn’t seem to have expected to see me here.

“Suyeong, I’m counting on you.”

Suyeong activated her [Avatar] with a triumphant look.

Dozens of avatars charged forward, disorienting the Poison Beauty’s group. In the confusion, I managed to reach Sangah.

“Dokja-ssi? What… How are you here?”

“We’ll talk after we move.”

A follow-up squad was chasing us from behind. Fortunately, the other survivors seemed to have escaped through Cheonho Bridge. The problem was us.

―Head to the tall building behind you. Gaining higher ground and assessing the situation comes first.

As always, Junghyeok’s judgment was spot on. Even if I’d read TWSA in its entirety, I couldn’t match his instincts. Still, his next words made me pause.

―Be careful with that woman.

Careful? Of whom?

Junghyeok said nothing further.

We slipped into a nearby high-rise and hid inside. The commotion seemed to have attracted the attention of nearby monsters, forcing the Poison Beauty’s group to lose our trail. After searching briefly, they retreated further into Gangdong District.

Finally, I turned to Sangah.

“Are you alright, Sangah-ssi?”

“Yes, I’m fine. What about you, Dokja-ssi?”

“I’m fine too.”

Though we’d only been apart for a few days, the conversation felt awkward, like meeting an old high school classmate after ten years.

I glanced at her sleek combat suit and the bloodied daggers she carried, struggling to find the right words.

“I…”

I wasn’t sure where to start. Sangah briefly looked at Suyeong, then at Junghyeok, who was still slung over one of Suyeong’s avatars, before turning back to me with a faint smile.

“It seems you’ve been through a lot too, Dokja-ssi.”

This was going to be a long story.

After the [Absolute Throne] was destroyed, Sangah had ended up in Gangdong District. Fortunately, she hadn’t been alone.

“Gong Pildu was with you?”

“Yes. Ahjussi helped me a lot.”

Hearing her call him “ahjussi”[1] suggested they’d grown quite close.

“Where is Gong Pildu now?”

“We got separated two days ago while fighting a group in Gangdong. He tried to protect me and…”

Sangah lowered her head, her voice trembling.

“During the last fight, he led them toward the Han River…”

Her tightly pressed lips trembled with suppressed emotion. In that moment, I understood why she had mercilessly slaughtered the Poison Beauty’s group earlier.

I tried to comfort her.

“Pildu is probably fine. Don’t worry.”

Thanks to my contract with the [Defense Master], I would know immediately if Gong Pildu died, as the penalty clause would activate. Since there had been no response, it meant he was still alive somewhere.

Like the Poison Beauty, Gong Pildu was one of the [Ten Evils]. He wasn’t someone who’d die easily.

“Where did you get that outfit and those daggers?”

“Oh, these…”

After parting ways with Pildu, Sangah had found a [Green Meteorite] while wandering the area. These meteorites contained rare items.

I examined her equipment. I vaguely remembered a meteorite near Cheonho-dong that matched her description.

[Ancient Assassin’s Dagger]

[Agile Cat’s Leather Suit]

Both were excellent S-grade items.

The dagger increased damage the farther the target was from the user, and the suit enhanced agility the longer she remained airborne.

“Those are great items.”

“Yes, they’ve been very helpful.”

As Sangah smiled, Suyeong, who had been silently listening, cut in.

“Hmm. That’s your whole story?”

“Pardon?”

“I can buy the meteorite part. But even with those items, your combat skills don’t make sense. What’s your attribute? How did you level up [Agile Movement] and [Dagger Mastery] so quickly? Even using a [Growth Pack] wouldn’t explain it. Do you have an SSS-grade growth acceleration skill or something? And how many constellations in Korea could even provide that?”

“…Who are you?”

“Me? I’m the First Apostle.”

Sangah silently drew her dagger.

“Wait, Sangah-ssi! She’s not an enemy.”

Sangah gave me a skeptical look.

“You got close to her in the time I was gone?”

“It’s not like that…”

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten what she did. People from Chungmuro died because of her.”

Sangah had been the vice-representative of Chungmuro in my absence, and her attachment to its members far exceeded my own.

“Oh, so you’re that girl from back then?”

Suyeong’s mocking tone only deepened Sangah’s glare.

“Hey, Dokja. I know I’m a terrible person, but think carefully. I’ve got a bad feeling about her. Don’t you think it’s strange? She wasn’t this strong before. Even with a powerful patron, you can’t grow this much in such a short time unless you’ve got an SSS-grade skill. How many patrons in Korea can even do that?”

Suyeong had a point. I couldn’t deny that her rapid growth was suspicious. Even Junghyeok’s earlier warning echoed in my mind.

Sangah avoided my gaze, her discomfort evident.

I had assumed her patron was the [Lover of the Abandoned Labyrinth]. The ability to navigate using [Magic Threads] matched Ariadne from Greek mythology, who gave Theseus a thread to navigate the Labyrinth.

But Suyeong was right. Ariadne’s recognition wasn’t high enough to explain Sangah’s dramatic improvement.

Her movements during combat also didn’t match labyrinthine skills. Instead, they resembled [Hermes’ Stroll], a skill from the [Murim World].

I was about to confront her when an unexpected voice interrupted.

[Hello, everyone! Long time no see!]

Damn it. I looked out the window immediately.

A dokkaebi appeared in the darkening sky, floating lazily.

[You scenario participants are so impatient. There’s still a week left before the main scenario begins, and yet some of you are already waking the catastrophes. You must be dying to see what’s next, huh?]

It wasn’t Bihyeong, but he was there too, likely filling in for an absent supervisor.

[I was going to let things slide while your main dokkaebi took a break. But you all know how these events go. Can’t let it pass, can we?]

This was bad, really bad.

[Since you’re so eager, I’d be remiss not to give you a scenario, right?]

What followed was inevitable.

[The sub scenario Stop the Catastrophe has arrived.]

The catastrophe was imminent.

+

<Sub Scenario – Stop the Catastrophe>

Category: Sub

Difficulty: S-

Clear conditions: A mysterious group in Gangdong District is attempting to hatch one of the Catastrophes. Eliminate them and prevent the Catastrophe from awakening.

Time limit: 2 hours

Rewards: 22,000 coins

Penalty for failure: Early emergence of the Catastrophe of Questions.

+

Since we received the “Stop the Catastrophe” scenario, it was clear the Poison Beauty’s group had been given the counterpart scenario, “Protect the Catastrophe.” These damned dokkaebis were turning even this sudden development into part of their narrative.

I turned to the others.

“This isn’t the time for us to argue. We need to deal with that first.”

For the first time, Suyeong and Sangah nodded in agreement at the same time.

The Poison Beauty’s group had set up their base in Cheonho-dong, an area of Gangdong District densely packed with churches and cathedrals. If their goal was to hatch the [Catastrophe] early, choosing a religious hub was a brilliant move. The desperate prayers of the displaced would create the perfect conditions for incubating a [Catastrophe Meteorite].

After scouting the area, Suyeong spoke first.

“The path with the least terraforming is northeast of their base, toward Cheonjungno-16-gil. If we move in from there, we can reach the center of their base in the shortest time. But the defenses there are tight.”

I nodded. Time was of the essence, so we had to take the fastest route.

“That’s fine. We’ll move through the buildings to minimize exposure. Suyeong and Sangah-ssi, you’ll handle the frontal assault. And don’t fight each other.”

“…Fine.”

Since Junghyeok couldn’t contribute directly in his current state, we left him on the rooftop of a high-rise with one of Suyeong’s avatars, tasked with monitoring the situation. Junghyeok didn’t protest. Instead, he offered his usual blunt advice.

―If possible, eliminate them before the [Catastrophe] hatches. Without the [Way of the Wind], suppressing the [Catastrophe of Questions] in its early stages is nearly impossible.

Of course, I already knew that.

“Let’s move.”

On my signal, we leapt from the building.

Suyeong took the lead, her [Avatar] skill multiplying her presence. Dozens of avatars spread out, drawing the attention of the Poison Beauty’s group.

“What the hell? Kill them!”

Confused enemies scrambled after the avatars, only for thin, nearly invisible threads to appear in midair.

“Argh!”

The threads snared the attackers, cutting through legs as they fell. But that wasn’t the end of it. Another set of threads had been laid beneath the first.

Shhht!

The attackers’ necks were severed in a seamless motion. It was a gruesome yet masterfully orchestrated trap, designed with deadly precision. Suyeong clicked her tongue.

“Damn, that’s brutal.”

“You’re not one to talk.”

Despite the tension in their exchange, the teamwork between Suyeong and Sangah was remarkable—flawless, even.

Thanks to them, I slipped past the enemy defenses and made my way into the heart of the encampment.

The [Catastrophe Meteorite] wasn’t hard to find. Towering over eight meters tall, it radiated an ominous aura, practically screaming, “I’m a [Catastrophe].”

This wasn’t just another Fire Dragon. Whatever was inside this meteorite was far worse. If we failed to stop it, Seoul was finished.

Standing next to the meteorite was a woman.

Her hair was as white as freshly fallen snow, her lips as striking as a red flower blooming in a winter landscape. Just looking at her, I could tell she was exactly Junghyeok’s type.

The instant her icy gaze met mine, an overwhelming pressure radiated from her entire being.

Her presence alone made my skin prickle, and the sheer force emanating from her was different from Gong Pildu’s overwhelming aura. No, this was something else entirely—likely amplified by the power of the [Catastrophe Meteorite].

“…Who are you?”

This was one of the [Ten Evils], the Poison Beauty, Lee Seolhwa.

Footnotes:

[1] Ahjussi is a Korean term used to refer to an older man, typically one who is middle-aged or older.

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