Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 88

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 88: Episode 18 - A Reader’s Fight (1)

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The dokkaebi's booming voice rang out.

A group of low-grade Dokkaebis were looking down at us from the air as if they were watching a house fire. Bihyeong was among them. The moment our eyes met, he whistled and deliberately looked away.

The dokkaebi at the center of the group slowly opened his mouth.

[Incarnations of Seoul City! I think I have some unfortunate news to deliver. Regrettably, because of certain people's blundering just now, one of the Calamities has awakened in Gangdong District.]

The smiling dokkaebi's eyes met mine. That bastard?

[Haa, I can practically hear your sighs all the way from here. I can already see some of you trying to leave Gangdong District. But everyone, you should listen to the end. If you run away now, you will surely regret it later. Because this Calamity is definitely an opportunity for all of you.]

The dokkaebi continued in a smooth voice.

[Hasn't it been hard, scraping together coins all this time? I know. Your home collapsed overnight, strange bastards started collecting your coins, and the people who were your friends yesterday suddenly started swinging knives at you. You thought at least it was nice not to have to go to work anymore, then what the hell is this? Now the stars floating in the sky are telling you, "Hey, shake your ass a little. I'll give you 100 coins."]

[Some Constellations chuckle.]

But the dokkaebi didn't laugh.

[I understand that shitty feeling you've all got, too. The despair you felt when you finally worked up the courage to say, "Screw it. The world is already ruined, so I'll live however I want," only to realize this world was already divided into those who'd make it and those who wouldn't. The sense of defeat you felt when you realized the Constellation you barely managed to get by shaking your ass was worse than the Constellation that had attached itself from the start to some bastard who was exceptional from the beginning. Your anger toward this unfair world. I know all of it, too.]

[A few Constellations object to the dokkaebi's speech.]

From the way he spoke, he was no ordinary dokkaebi. A timid low-grade dokkaebi couldn't pull something like this. They knew that even a little backlash from the Constellations could wreck their channel.

But that was only true for small channels. Dokkaebis with big channels had nerve on another level.

They knew the rules of stories.

If they spent all their time sucking up to Subscribers and clinging to the tastes of a minority, they couldn't spin a grand story.

A true Streamer had to deal with characters, not the audience.

[And so, for all of you, I have prepared a chance. A chance for you unfortunate, unlucky people, the ones who still haven't made it because you didn't work hard enough, to become one of the ones who will make it overnight!]

I carefully observed the dokkaebi continuing his speech. A sharp single horn sprouted from the crown of his head. Beneath the hem of his pure-white cape was a single leg that corresponded to the horn above it.

Wait. Could that bastard be... Dokgak?

A giant screen rose into the air. On it was a boy fleeing while bleeding.

[Now then, the boy you are looking at is a walking SSS-grade item, through and through! You could say there isn't a single part of him from head to toe that goes to waste. His name is Myeong Ilsang. Through luck, he was chosen by the Star Stream and went to another world. You've all imagined it at least once, haven't you? Being suddenly summoned to another dimension, gaining incredible power, spending a hot night with a cute elf girlfriend, and being hailed as a hero after saving the world! That's right. This damned bastard is exactly the Calamity you will be hunting today.]

So that was why things had felt off.

I'd found it strange that low-grade Dokkaebis were filling in for a missing mid-grade dokkaebi, but I hadn't expected a dokkaebi from a major channel like that.

[I can already hear your complaints. You're asking how you're supposed to catch someone wrapped head to toe in SSS-grade gear. Haha, please don't worry. He's under a penalty right now. His power is sealed. He's strong, yes, but if all of you beat him together, he's a treasure vault that can be opened.]

"...That thing gives me the creeps."

Suyeong clicked her tongue. As a writer, she seemed to have already grasped the dokkaebi's intention. If you called a Calamity a Calamity, no one would come.

But what if that Calamity was called a "treasure vault" in name only?

[Your lives are not ruined yet. If anything, you could say you're very lucky. This Sub Scenario I'm giving you now will become a wonderful stepping stone for turning your lives around. Now then, this opportunity is available for today only! Move now! Only those who move faster than everyone else can become the owner of the SSS-grade item!]

Before long, the Incarnations scattered all across Seoul would hear that voice and gather in Gangdong District.

[The Sub Scenario has been updated.]

Category: Sub

Difficulty: B~???

Clear Conditions: Eliminate SSS-grade Hero Myeong Ilsang.

Time Limit: None

Rewards: 50,000 coins, random SSS-grade item

Penalty for failure: Destruction of the Seoul Dome

The worst Scenario had finally begun.

Perhaps it was because the result under "Penalty for failure" glowed red in the air, but the massive rewards being offered, unprecedented until now, looked shabby by comparison.

"We have to find him. Before everybody dies."

"...Can that bastard really do something like this without a Plausibility problem?"

"Plausibility gets offset to a degree the moment a large number of Constellations decide it'll be entertaining."

That was why dokkaebis preferred provocative Scenarios. For stories a lot of Constellations wanted, the Constellations themselves took on the Plausibility. Of course, if it failed, the storm would fall entirely on the dokkaebi, but this case was different.

[A considerable number of Constellations' eyes gleam.]

If things went the way Dokgak intended, Seoul would be finished before the fifth Scenario even began. Suyeong immediately mobilized all her Mana and summoned her Avatar. About five minutes later...

"Found him. Two kilometers northwest of here!"

I ran along the road with Suyeong's main body. Before long, I heard murmuring voices.

"There! He's over there!"

"He's the one who went to another world!"

People had already gathered. And Myeong Ilsang, surrounded by the crowd pressing in on him, was smiling brightly.

"Ah, yes. That's me."

"You obnoxious bastard! Bet you had plenty of fun over there, didn't you?"

"I had plenty of fun."

"I'm jealous... Hey! Everybody kill him!"

It was startling all over again just how many people were consumed by inferiority complexes.

Dodging several blades slicing through the air, Myeong Ilsang asked, "If you envy it that much, should I send you there too?"

"What, we can go too?"

"Of course. Naturally you can. But you really want to go, right?"

"If I can go, then of course I do! Better than this shitty world..."

Nodding, Myeong Ilsang stretched his right arm toward the crowd.

[The Returnee Myeong Ilsang's eighth seal has been released.]

[The Returnee Myeong Ilsang's ninth seal has been released.]

...

"Then have a good trip. Though I don't know if it'll be any better there than it is here."

"What?"

[The Returnee Myeong Ilsang's twelfth seal has been released.]

[The Returnee Myeong Ilsang's thirteenth seal has been released.]

[The Returnee Myeong Ilsang's fourteenth seal has been released.]

...

A faint despair washed over me as I watched the endless messages rise.

It was already too late.

"Because I already destroyed that place."

[The Returnee Myeong Ilsang has activated Medium Red Flame Cannon Lv.3!]

I snatched Suyeong and threw myself behind the building. A violet flash ripped through the forest of buildings. Five or six high-rises were half-destroyed, and an entire street vanished. The people who had been running at him were dismantled without even bone dust left behind.

An existence that could become a Calamity all on its own.

That was the true power of a Returnee.

Suyeong's body beside me sank weakly to the ground.

"This is insane... How are we supposed to beat that?"

It wasn't the influence of a skill. It was fear so raw that my body shook on its own. I spoke as if resisting it.

"We can beat him."

"Don't talk bullshit. Let's go back. There's no way we're catching that."

"No. We can catch him. If we do it now, the reward will be better, too."

[The character Han Suyeong has activated Lie Detection Lv.2.]

[Han Suyeong has confirmed that statement is true.]

Suyeong's eyes widened.

"...Seriously? A second ago, you were acting like there was no way."

"How is anyone supposed to live thinking only one thing?"

What I said was only half true. My original plan had been to defeat the strengthened Calamity of Questions and build up my second fable.

The problem was that my plan assumed I'd learned Way of the Wind.

"Anyone else want to go to another world? Raise your hand! I'll send you!"

People screamed and ran. Myeong Ilsang's presence was getting closer. Along with a translucent window, Junghyeok's voice rang out.

- If you fight head-on, you have no chance of winning.

- I know. I still have to try.

- Why did you let the situation get this bad?

- What?

- You had several chances. If you had killed Lee Seolhwa, or if you had joined forces with Lycaon and killed Antinus, you could have stopped the Calamity.

There were plenty of excuses I could've made. The reason I hadn't killed Seolhwa was because of Junghyeok, and the reason I hadn't joined forces with Lycaon was that I couldn't find an opening to interfere.

- I'm not a regressor like you. If I fail, that's the end, so I have no choice but to be careful. If I don't think it through and think it through again until the end...

- Careful? Don't get conceited. Do you think you're a Constellation? Just because you know a little of the future doesn't mean you can control everything.

It felt like someone had slammed a fist into my solar plexus.

Ridiculously enough, part of me thought Junghyeok was right.

[The Exclusive Skill The Fourth Wall is in operation.]

The arrogance of knowing the original work. The idea that even if the story twisted, I'd somehow be able to come up with a way out. Maybe that was what had led the situation this far.

- Then why don't you fight, mighty expert? Stop counting on a guy like me.

- It may not be true that you can win only if you have Way of the Wind.

- What are you talking about? I need it if I'm going to win.

Junghyeok went silent for a moment. Just as I was about to retort into the silence that seemed to call me pathetic, Junghyeok spoke again.

- My attribute is 'Pro Gamer.' What is yours?

- What?

- I asked what you're good at.

...What I was good at?

It felt like some deep corner of my subconscious was itching. Like I was missing something important. But I didn't have time to think.

"Found you! Still here, huh?"

Myeong Ilsang's face popped out around the corner like something from a horror movie. Suyeong groaned, and I took a step back.

"...Huh? Aren't you those Hunter Association people from before?"

Myeong Ilsang came toward us with a smile.

"Good timing. I actually wanted to see you. Do you know you ruined my cool debut plan because of what you did?"

"..."

"I was trying to live as a good person, you know. Kill some S-grade Incarnations who abused their power, smash up a few bad groups, show some love to pretty ladies. But what is this? I've turned into a complete villain. What are you going to do about that?"

Instead of answering, I gripped my sword.

[You have activated the Stigma Song of the Sword Lv.1!]

[A phrase left by Admiral Yi Sun-sin has been imbued into your sword.]

「Today I truly steel myself for death. I pray to Heaven: let me annihilate the enemy without fail.」

The lines of Admiral Yi Sun-sin recorded in the Baeksajip. Thankfully, this time Admiral Yi Sun-sin had taken my side.

[The Stigma Song of the Sword is taking effect!]

[Your combat power has increased from your resolve in the face of death.]

I wrung out all the Mana I had at once.

[You have activated Blade of Faith!]

The Blade of Faith swelled as if it were about to burst. I ran at him.

Claaang!

Myeong Ilsang lightly smacked aside the Blade of Faith with his hand. Pain tore through my hand as if it were about to break. We had exchanged only a single blow, but I could already tell. Myeong Ilsang's overall stats had long since surpassed the Scenario's limiting threshold.

"What, you want to fight? Seriously? You saw me fighting just now, didn't you?"

Looking at that smile, I ground my teeth and called up the pages of TWSA.

What I was good at. That was reading.

[You have activated Stage 1 of the Exclusive Skill Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint!]

And then I began to hear his movements.

「Right shoulder」

Pshussh!

「Left thigh」

Even when I read them, I couldn't block or dodge the strikes that came flying in. His fists, wrapped in violet energy, poured down mercilessly.

「Stomach, stomach, stomach, stomach, stomach, stomach」

Blood burst from my mouth and my vision shook for an instant. But I didn't give up. I thought, and thought again.

[The character Myeong Ilsang is impressed by your tenacity.]

[Your understanding of the character Myeong Ilsang has increased.]

I couldn't beat him with the information in TWSA alone. This wasn't like hunting the Warden of the Dark. I couldn't fight by calculating every last thing.

「Strong, weak, medium, weak, strong, weak, medium, weak」

Too much information came crashing in at once along with the rain of blows, and the dizziness gradually worsened. Even borrowing the power of a Stigma, it was this bad. At this rate, the match would be decided in an instant.

I wiped the blood from my mouth and sprang back.

...Should I use Ganpyeongui?

It left a bitter taste in my mouth that my final resort was borrowing a Constellation's power after all. If I received the protection of a powerful Historical-grade being, or the protection of the Northern Dipper Star Lords, I could probably win. But after what happened last time, there was the burden of Plausibility to consider, and more than anything, I didn't like owing the Constellations.

Damn it, if only I had talent, too. I almost felt like I'd rather steal someone else's talent if I could.

...Huh? Wait. Steal?

A dull shock swept through my mind. Until now, my main weapon had been information. But there was so much information that I'd completely forgotten the information I actually needed.

Pathetic. Shouldn't I have tried that first?

[The Exclusive Skill Bookmark has activated.]

[Character Bookmark has been activated.]

[Available Bookmark slots: 4]

[Loading the list of Bookmarks available for activation.]

1. Delusional Demon Kim Namwoon (Understanding: 35)

2. Steel Sword Emperor Lee Hyeongseong (Understanding: 75)

3. Inciter Inho Cheon (Understanding: 20)

4. Empty slot

Other than the fact that one slot had been added, nothing seemed especially different.

I selected the empty slot.

1. Poison Beauty Lee Seolhwa (Understanding: 10)

2. King of Beauty Min Jiwon (Understanding: 25)

3. Tyrant King Jeong Yonghu (Understanding: 10)

4. Recluse Han Donghoon (Understanding: 30)

5. Prophet Anna Croft (Understanding: 1)

6. Armament Lord Pildu Gong (Understanding: 30)

...

Just as I'd expected, Junghyeok's name wasn't on the list. Since he was the protagonist, maybe special conditions had to be met before he appeared.

Besides him, beings who weren't "characters," such as Suyeong, Sangah, and Gilyeong, also didn't show up on the list. It didn't matter. They weren't what I needed right now anyway.

After scrolling for a while, I finally found the person I wanted. There it is. Why had I forgotten this bastard was a character, too?

Without hesitation, I placed that character into Bookmark 4.

[The activation time is determined in proportion to the level of the Bookmark skill.]

[Active duration: 30 minutes.]

[Your understanding of this character is considerable. You can choose and take some of this character's skills.]

I selected the skill. The next moment, a silver storm blew into my body. I could feel the majestic valor of a wolf settling into me.

Damn it, I was an idiot.

Why had I been trying to learn this until now?

I wasn't a regressor or a Returnee.

[The character Lycaon, Prince of imyuntar has been registered to Bookmark 4.]

[Bookmark 4 has been activated.]

I am a reader.

[Way of the Wind Lv.8 has been activated.]

And this is how I fight.

Footnotes:

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