WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 96: Episode 19 — Singularity (4)
That night, the child didn’t die. Sangah didn’t want her killed, and I agreed with her decision.
“…Do as you wish.”
Suyeong stormed out in a huff, leaving only Sangah and me in the abandoned building. The child had been put to sleep temporarily using [Acupuncture Point Binding]. Stroking the child’s hair, Sangah spoke in a somber tone.
“Is this child really a catastrophe?”
“Yes.”
“And you figured that out with your ability?”
“Something like that.”
I recalled a passage from TWSA.
「The final catastrophe of the fifth scenario. The Catastrophe of the Flood is the most dangerous and the most sorrowful catastrophe.」
Biting her lip, Sangah asked,
“Is this child like the ‘Catastrophe of Questions’… one of those?”
“Similar, but not quite.”
The Catastrophe of the Flood. If this child unleashed her full power, it would make the Catastrophe of Questions seem trivial in comparison. The Catastrophe of Questions had only half-destroyed Gangdong District before being stopped. The Catastrophe of the Flood, however, was on a different scale.
If she unleashed her full potential, Seoul would be destroyed in less than an hour.
“But she doesn’t look anything like a catastrophe. How could she become one in just five days?”
Sangah’s point was valid. As of now, this child wasn’t a Catastrophe.
[The exclusive skill Character Profile has been activated.]
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<Character Details>
Name: Shin Yuseong
Age: 11
Patron constellation: None (Currently being observed by two constellations.)
Exclusive attributes: Beast Tamer (Rare), Reflective Killer (Common)
Exclusive skills: [Taming Lv.5], [Interspecies Communication Lv.7], [Agile Feet Lv.6], [Interspecies Affinity Lv.4]
Stigma: None
Overall stats: [Vitality Lv.12], [Strength Lv.12], [Agility Lv.16], [Mana Lv.24]
Comprehensive evaluation: Displays decent magical ability but generally has low stats. Although she possesses exceptional talent and rare attributes, her timid disposition prevents her from garnering attention from constellations.
+
Shin Yuseong.
Her name alone confirmed she was undoubtedly the catastrophe.
In five days, this child would destroy Seoul.
Sangah continued,
“I heard that catastrophes hatch from meteors. But this child didn’t hatch from a meteor…”
“That’s right. She wasn’t born from a meteor. She was born and raised on Earth. Even five days from now, she’ll still be an Earthling.”
“Then why…?”
“The Catastrophe of Questions was also originally an Earthling.”
Sangah’s eyes widened.
“Then, this child is like the Catastrophe of Questions?”
“Yes and no.”
All catastrophes originating from Earth were ‘Returnees.’ Destroyers who had annihilated other worlds before returning. This child had also destroyed Chronos and could thus be classified as a returnee. But there was more to her than that.
Among the five catastrophes of Chronos, this child was unique. And the most dangerous.
“The catastrophe isn’t this child herself, it’s her future.”
“Her future?”
“This child will return from decades into the future to destroy Earth.”
This kind, innocent, and even polite child would one day become one of the world’s most horrific catastrophes.
“That’s why Suyeong said the child should be killed. Only by killing her now can her future be erased.”
And that catastrophe was one that even Junghyeok couldn’t stop.
「Yu Junghyeok stared at the gaping void in his chest. A wound so severe that only [Resuscitation] could save him. Furious, he glared at the woman who had inflicted it.
‘Yuseong. Why… why did you change your mind?’
‘Change my mind? I didn’t change at all.’
Shin Yuseong smiled.
‘I’m not like you, Captain. I’m not a regressor bound to a timeline. I’m just a cog in the machine of the scenario. The me you’re talking to right now is exactly the same as the “catastrophe” you faced in previous rounds.’
‘Then why…’
‘You’re in your third regression, right? I’m sure you had a chance in the second round too. But you failed again, didn’t you? Even with all the information I gave you, you still failed.’
Shin Yuseong gazed at Yu Junghyeok with a sorrowful smile.
‘This world can’t change. You stay the same, and nothing ever changes.’
Looking up at the Great Hole in the sky, Shin Yuseong continued,
‘So I’ve decided. This world has to end here.’」
Reading through TWSA again, I felt nostalgia creeping up. This was why I loved this story.
“What are you doing?”
Suyeong’s voice jolted me. I turned off my smartphone.
“What’s your plan?”
“I’m still thinking.”
Suyeong frowned at my indecisiveness. Glancing at Sangah and Yuseong in the distance, she whispered,
“Don’t you remember? In the third round, Junghyeok nearly died to the final catastrophe.”
“But he didn’t die.”
“Close enough. The point is, it’s a fight he couldn’t win head-on.”
She wasn’t wrong. Junghyeok in the third regression had barely survived Yuseong.
“If that delusional demon, Kim Namwoon, hadn’t killed her back then…”
Unfortunately, in this regression, Namwoon didn’t exist to play that role.
“I’ve already told you I’m against it. And let me warn you, I’m not the only one.”
[Many constellations are frustrated with the stalling.]
[The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband prepares himself for the frustration about to come.]
[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire awaits your wise decision.]
It seemed my words hadn’t been fully filtered.
The gradual breakdown of information filtering was inevitable.
Sangah, who had been sighing in frustration, approached me.
“Dokja-ssi, this isn’t right.”
Her face was filled with earnest determination.
“The future hasn’t happened yet. If we take good care of this child, she might not become a catastrophe. What if there’s a butterfly effect…?”
The catastrophe destined to come was the ‘future Shin Yuseong.’ This world was the past that shaped that future. Her argument wasn’t entirely unreasonable. However…
“The event that turns her into a catastrophe happens far in the future. There’s nothing we can do about it right now.”
Butterfly effects aren’t that simple.
The idea that a butterfly’s wings can cause a typhoon on the other side of the world is theoretically possible, but the time it takes for the flapping to become a storm matters more than the act itself.
Sangah’s expression became crestfallen.
“But still, there’s a chance…”
“I’ll say it again, it’s impossible right now. And even if we could change her, the catastrophe set to arrive in five days won’t disappear.”
Junghyeok had tried similar approaches in past regressions. He had found Yuseong early, tried to pacify her, and attempted to prevent her from becoming a catastrophe. But he had failed every time. No matter what was done, the future Shin Yuseong would always appear and destroy Seoul.
Sangah’s voice grew weaker.
“Why does she become a catastrophe? What could possibly happen in the future to cause this?”
“I don’t know either.”
Of course, I knew the answer, but there was no need to share it. Instead, I approached the child sitting on the ground, chewing on meat.
“Is it good?”
“…Yes.”
I felt the gazes of Sangah and Suyeong from afar.
‘No.’
‘Kill her.’
‘I won’t let it happen.’
‘Kill her.’
Honestly, killing Yuseong now wouldn’t disrupt the story’s flow. But if she were spared and something went wrong, Seoul would be doomed. In the short term, sparing her seemed like a loss.
Chewing on her food, Yuseong looked at me with an inscrutable expression.
“Ahjussi, can you see the future?”
“…What?”
“I’m going to become a bad person in the future, aren’t I?”
She must have overheard our conversation.
I answered her honestly.
“Probably.”
“How bad?”
“You’ll probably be the worst person in Seoul.”
“Worse than Joker or Thanos?”
“Maybe.”
Yuseong hung her head.
“That’s not surprising.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m already a bad person.”
I didn’t need her to explain further, I already knew why she thought that.
[Your understanding of the character Shin Yuseong has increased.]
[The exclusive skill Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Level 2 has been activated.]
「I killed it.」
She had killed her pet dog to survive the first scenario.
「I’m sorry.」
She had taken a coat from an elderly man already attacked by monsters.
She had abandoned a woman who always cared for her to protect her Green Zone.
She had handed over a man being chased to a mob in exchange for food.
These were all actions many would justify in such a world.
But not everyone could live with the guilt of those actions.
「I’ll be punished. I’m not worthy of living.」
The child’s trembling eyes grew calm, reflecting the determination of someone resigned to death.
“You can kill me. I’m ready.”
If I were the protagonist of this story, I might have killed Shin Yuseong without hesitation.
But I was the reader, and the reader makes their own choices.
Placing my hand on Yuseong’s head, I said,
“Don’t worry. In the ending I want, your death doesn’t exist.”
If I killed her, Yu Junghyeok’s regressions would mean nothing. What purpose would there be in rewriting the past if I succumbed to the belief that the future couldn’t change?
For Junghyeok’s sake, I would prevent this child’s death.
Yuseong’s eyes trembled.
[The character Shin Yuseong shows faint trust in you.]
[Your understanding of the character Shin Yuseong has increased.]
“But I need to die…”
“There’s a way to stop the catastrophe.”
Behind me, I heard Suyeong sigh. Sangah bit her lip, looking at me intently.
“If you help me, it’s possible.”
My desired ending was an impossibility.
But if I turned one small impossibility into reality, perhaps the ultimate impossible outcome could become possible. Yuseong would be the cornerstone of that story.
Calling for Bihyeong, I opened the Dokkaebi Compendium and purchased several items.
Yuseong mumbled hesitantly,
“But what can I do? I’m just a kid… and I don’t even have a patron constellation.”
“Who says you don’t have one?”
[You have gifted Growth Package I to the incarnation Shin Yuseong.]
Shin Yuseong stared in shock.
[You have gifted Growth Package II to the incarnation Shin Yuseong.]
[You have gifted New Scenario Commemoration Package to the incarnation Shin Yuseong.]
The stream of notifications continued. Yuseong’s face turned pale.
“What’s all this…?”
“Don’t worry. I have plenty of money.”
“Who… are you, ahjussi?”
“I’m Dokja. Kim Dokja.”
Resting my hand on her head, I said,
“In five days, you’ll be stronger than anyone here.”
And I wasn’t lying.
Shin Yuseong, the Beast Lord.
This child, who might one day become a catastrophe, would become my first Incarnation in this regression.
Footnotes:
[1]
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