Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 84

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 84: Episode 17 - SSS-grade Talent (3)

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There were three ways to awaken the Catastrophe Meteorite.

The first was to leave it alone and let it hatch in line with the Scenario, the second was to draw on the Catastrophe Meteorite's power in advance, and the third, the fastest method, was to artificially supply Mana to the Catastrophe Meteorite.

Around Lee Seolhwa, more than a dozen group members were offering up prayers. I could see the faint Mana flowing from their bodies straight into the Catastrophe Meteorite.

A hatching ritual.

They had chosen the third method.

Judging by how violently the meteorite was already heaving, if another 30 minutes passed like this, the catastrophe would hatch on the spot.

I glared at Lee Seolhwa and spoke.

"Stop this. Unless all of you want to die together."

"..."

"What the hell are you thinking?"

It was strange. In the original story's third round, Lee Seolhwa borrowed the Catastrophe Meteorite's power, but she wasn't foolish enough to awaken the catastrophe ahead of time. Yu Junghyeok must have known that too, which was why he'd come looking for Lee Seolhwa in advance. Gripping the hilt of my sword, I said,

"Stop the catastrophe from hatching. Right now."

Lee Seolhwa, who had been quietly studying me, replied,

"And if I don't?"

"Then you'll die here."

A mocking smile touched Poison Beauty Lee Seolhwa's face. The moment her hand moved, the humans praying toward the catastrophe all turned toward me at once.

[Tier-8 inhuman species, Insectoid Nam Minhyuk, has revealed hostility toward you.]

[Tier-8 inhuman species, Insectoid Jeong Minji, has revealed hostility toward you.]

[Tier-8 inhuman species, Insectoid Kim Gapil, has revealed hostility toward you.]

Antennae sprouted from their heads, and their hands had turned into claws. It seemed the Wanderers here had undergone inhuman transformation into Insectoids instead of werewolves.

But something about it bothered me.

...Strange. Inhuman transformation shouldn't be one of the Catastrophe Meteorite's powers.

"Kill him!"

The charging Insectoids sprang into the air, spreading their wings and legs as they leaped. I drew my sword against them without hesitation.

[Blade of Faith has activated!]

[The special option of Unbreakable Faith has activated.]

[Your ether attribute has changed to Flame.]

The ray of light cutting through the air was wreathed in pure white fire. Every inhuman species with insect traits was weak to flame. The ether fire wrapped around Unbreakable Faith caught on the Insectoids' skin. One spread to two, and two to three.

"Kieeeek!"

The fire that spread in an instant burned through the inhuman species' skin. I cut through their legs and their wings as they roasted alive.

"Kiiiit!"

I poured out Mana without restraint and burned the inhuman species down in an instant. Just like with the werewolves, because they had walked the path of the inhuman, there was no penalty for killing them. I broke through the flames and charged straight at Lee Seolhwa.

Claaang!

For the first time, my attack was blocked. Lee Seolhwa's nails and forearms had turned a dark blue. The Catastrophe Meteorite's power accelerated the leveling of her unique Stigma. Borrowing the catastrophe's power, she had gained [Venomous Claws], enough to block Blade of Faith. But being able to block it didn't mean she could do so without taking damage.

"Urgh!"

Sparks flew as Lee Seolhwa's body was shoved back five or six steps. My overall stats were already close to the very top among Incarnations other than Yu Junghyeok. Even if I lacked talent, I was by no means weak among fellow Incarnations.

"Give it up. Nothing good will come of the catastrophe hatching. This Sub Scenario doesn't even have a failure penalty, does it?"

Lee Seolhwa's eyes, darting anxiously toward the Catastrophe Meteorite, were clouded.

It was as if she wasn't trying to gain power through the Catastrophe Meteorite, but that the "catastrophe" itself was the point. It was strange. Even someone who didn't know the original story could easily predict that if the catastrophe hatched, Seoul would be destroyed.

Then why was she trying to awaken the catastrophe?

[You have activated the Exclusive Skill, Character Profile.]

Name: Lee Seolhwa

Age: 26

Patron constellation: Divine Doctor Guam

Exclusive attributes: Talented Physician (Rare), Poison Master (Rare)

Exclusive skills: [Weapons Proficiency Lv.7], [Peach Blossom Arrows Lv.4], [Poison Emission Lv.5], [Poison Formulation Lv.4], [Detoxification Lv.5]...

Stigma: [Venomous Claws Lv.4], [Thousand Spirit Poison Lv.4], [Brink of Life and Death Lv.3]

Overall stats: [Constitution Lv.44 (+10)], [Strength Lv.42 (+10)], [Agility Lv.44 (+10)], [Mana Lv.35 (+10)]

Overall evaluation: An overall evaluation is currently in progress.

* This character is infected with a Parasite.

* The Parasite is currently controlling this person's body.

- Some of Parasite Antinus's stats are transferred to this person.

...Damn it.

I had wondered, and it really was like this.

[Due to your attribute effect, your memory of some scenes has improved!]

Pages turned in my head, and lines from a few pages I'd read flowed across my vision.

"In the otherworld Chronos, there are five ruling species. The Parasite of the east, the Velkia of the west, the imyuntar of the south, the Mystilen of the north. And Invargo in the center."

I lightly dodged the incoming strike of [Venomous Claws], then kicked Lee Seolhwa squarely in the back while she was off-balance. She rolled across the ground with a groan. Looking down at her, I spoke.

"The fifth Scenario is a Scenario modeled after the 'Catastrophe of Chronos.'"

At my words, Lee Seolhwa's eyes shook violently.

"On the day Chronos fell, each of Chronos's five ruling species selected one hero. Five heroes were chosen to survive the shame of destruction and carry on Chronos's line."

"......"

"They were sent to another world through contracts with the dokkaebis. There, they would encounter other species, and in exchange for stopping the catastrophe that would occur there, they were promised their survival."

Kiiiit.

A cry that didn't belong to anything human spilled from Lee Seolhwa's mouth.

"Here, they're the ones called 'guides.'"

"...Kit. How does a human of Earth know such things?"

How would I know? Because I'd seen it in a book countless times.

"You're not Lee Seolhwa."

There was no human who would do something like hatch the catastrophe ahead of time.

"Queen of Parasites, Antinus. Instead of doing your job as a guide, why are you awakening the catastrophe?"

Only a "fallen guide" dreamed of doing something like that.

[Tier-5 Monarch-Level Insect, Parasite Antinus, is staring at you.]

Parasites were a parasitic species that lived by using other species as hosts.

Right now, Lee Seolhwa was being controlled by one of the guides.

I looked at the corpses of the dead Insectoids. Just like with Lycaon's meteorite, the thing that accelerated humans into inhuman transformation wasn't the Catastrophe Meteorite's power, but the power of Chronos's guides.

"The humans here. You infected them however you pleased, didn't you? Why did you do it?"

Kiiit...!

"What do you gain by waking the catastrophe early? Weren't your guides supposed to stop the catastrophe together with Earth's humans and build a new world in harmony with us? Why are you trying to destroy a world that was finally terraformed?"

Kitkit, kikikit...!

"This is a violation of your mission. It's not too late yet, so get out of that body right now. Carry out the proper duty of a guide, Antinus!"

If possible, I didn't want to kill Lee Seolhwa. Maybe Yu Junghyeok felt the same way.

Even in the original story, Poison Beauty only became one of the Ten Evils after being infected by a Parasite. If she could just break free of the infection, Lee Seolhwa might never become one of the Ten Evils at all.

That was why Yu Junghyeok had tried to have a conversation he wasn't even good at. To protect his former lover from that queen of parasites.

The notification window of Midday Tryst flickered in the air.

―Kill her.

It was Yu Junghyeok.

―What matters is not her life, but the survival of the world. Act wisely, Kim Dokja.

We were too far apart for me to make out what expression Yu Junghyeok wore. To worry about the safety of this world over a woman he'd once cared for. Maybe that was the quality of a born hero.

―Will you be okay?

―It doesn't matter.

Yu Junghyeok's voice was calm and firm. But I knew. If Lee Seolhwa died here, Yu Junghyeok would collapse someday.

As the deaths of the people around him piled up one by one, they would eventually gnaw away at his memories and wear down his mind.

"Kit! A mere human...!"

The queen of insects spoke through Lee Seolhwa's mouth. The pitch of her voice was thick with hatred for humanity. In truth, I knew why she hated humans that much. But I wasn't in a situation where I had the luxury to weigh the feelings of insects one by one.

"Kit. Die."

Black liquid began to seep from Lee Seolhwa's entire body.

Thousand Spirit Poison.

Her signature technique was finally beginning to show itself in earnest. Through the claws of [Venomous Claws], pitch-black liquid sprayed toward me.

Psssss.

The moment I leaped back a few quick steps, the floor touched by the Thousand Spirit Poison melted away on the spot. Yu Junghyeok had only ended up poisoned after taking that venom head-on. An ordinary Incarnation would've turned into mush like that floor. Yu Junghyeok asked,

―Do you have a way to deal with Thousand Spirit Poison?

―I do.

Lee Seolhwa's poison, scattered through the air, slipped into every opening. As if it were a living creature with a will of its own, the poison freely roamed the air in search of my weak points.

A few drops splashed onto my thigh, and a few more grazed my forearm. A couple even struck less fortunate spots. Part of my suit hit by the Thousand Spirit Poison began to melt away. A triumphant smile spread across Lee Seolhwa's face.

But that judgment was premature.

Ignoring the poison, I rushed in and drove my fist straight into her stomach with all my strength.

"Kiiiiieet!"

With a horrible shriek, her body was flung through the air. The skin touched by the Thousand Spirit Poison showed a slight discoloration, but it soon returned to its original shade. Lee Seolhwa's eyes went wide.

"...Kit, immune to a thousand poisons?"

Her voice was filled with fear. A body immune to a thousand poisons was a source of terror to every being that used poison. But I was neither immune to a thousand poisons, nor immune to all poisons.

"Antinus, do you know who the Patron constellation of the Incarnation you've parasitized is?"

As I said it, I slid a hand into my pocket.

"Of course you don't. If you did, you wouldn't have crawled into that body so confidently. Right?"

A moment later, I pulled out a book.

[A Constellation worried about the declining quality of Korean medicine reveals its modifier.]

[The Constellation Divine Doctor Guam looks at you in shock.]

"Kiit...?"

[Donguibogam - Incomplete Version]

One of the greatest records of Korean medicine in all the East, past and present. An item from the "Chamber of the Donguibogam," the five-person dungeon in the King's Qualification Scenario.

"I went through a lot to gather this."

Back when the King's Qualification Scenario was in full swing, every king had been obsessed with obtaining the Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword. And while the kings were coveting the Four-Tiger Evil-Cutting Sword, I had been diligently picking up other items.

The countless items they tossed aside because they didn't know their value. Among them, the ones I paid particularly close attention to were these editions of Donguibogam.

Four Internal Medicine volumes and four External Form volumes. Eleven Miscellaneous Diseases volumes. Three Decoctions volumes. One Acupuncture and Moxibustion volume. Two Table of Contents volumes.

A constellation artifact that could only be completed by gathering all 25 volumes.

Unfortunately, I had only collected the eight volumes obtainable from the five-person dungeon, but even that was enough to see results. Even with only eight volumes, Donguibogam could produce the effect of a fairly good S-grade poison-repelling pearl.

[The effect of Donguibogam - Incomplete Version is currently active.]

[Your body temporarily blossoms its own poison-repelling ability.]

Flustered, Lee Seolhwa shouted,

"That's impossible. Thousand Spirit Poison is...!"

"I know. Normally, Thousand Spirit Poison can't be detoxified with a poison-repelling pearl. But Donguibogam can. Do you know why?"

[The Constellation Divine Doctor Guam lets out a hollow laugh.]

One Constellation emitted a faint light, as if answering me.

"Because the Constellation who created that Thousand Spirit Poison is the very author of Donguibogam."

Footnotes:

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