WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 99: Episode 20 — The Catastrophe of Floods (2)

At some point, Team Leader Han Myeongoh had bragged about buying a private yacht for his villa in the Maldives. What was it he said? Something about how, the moment the propeller sliced through the waves, it felt like a highway had been carved into the ocean?

I finally understood what he meant.

If Myeongoh’s yacht was like the Gyeongbu Expressway, then the current moment felt as though I was cruising on the Autobahn.

“...It’s amazing, really.”

Sangah and I were perched on the rear of the Queen Mirvad, mesmerized by the frothing waves of the Han River. Yuseong, as if testing the Queen’s control, wasn’t traveling in a straight line. She skillfully parted the water, leading a group of Sea Dragons in a synchronized formation. Now that the Han River was a safe zone, it made sense to head for the mainland closer to Yongsan District.

Goooooooh.

Like ducklings following their mother, the Sea Dragons swam in unison with the Queen Mirvad, maintaining their formation. I closed my eyes, relishing the brisk wind whipping against my face. It was a luxury unimaginable in the world before.

Shin Yuseong, synchronized with the Queen’s psyche, murmured quietly as she remained affixed to its head. Watching her, Yu Sangah broke the silence with a conflicted tone.

“By the way, Dokja-ssi, if Yuseong gets stronger now, won’t the Yuseong from the future also become stronger?”

It was a question I had expected from someone as astute as Sangah.

“That won’t happen.”

According to the original work, the catastrophe arriving soon was a Yuseong from a different regression of the future.

The Yuseong who had been betrayed by Yu Jeonghyeok and discarded beyond the boundary of this worldline.

She lost her timeline and wandered the distant universe until she was subsumed by the Star Stream, becoming a part of its scenario. That version of Shin Yuseong then descended as a catastrophe during one of the earlier scenarios. Hearing my explanation, Sangah raised another question.

“Then doesn’t that mean even if the current Yuseong dies, the future catastrophe version of her won’t die? Since they’re from completely separate worldlines...?”

“Have you heard of the ‘Snapped Film Theory’?”

“...No.”

As I gazed at the waves splitting before us, I continued.

“It’s a simple concept. Imagine Yuseong’s history in our world as a single film strip.”

“A film strip... You mean like in movies?”

“Yes.”

“Is this parallel universe theory? The film is meant to symbolize alternate histories?”

I nodded.

“If we consider the Yuseong in our universe as the ‘Film Strip No. 1,’ then naturally, countless other film strips would exist in other worldlines. There could be a Film Strip No. 2, or even a Film Strip No. 41.”

“Just as many strips as there are worldlines.”

“Exactly. Now imagine if one of those strips, with its front part snapped off, somehow got attached to the end of Film Strip No. 1. What do you think would happen if you played the film?”

Sangah paused to think deeply.

“The scene would suddenly change partway through... Wait. So, the two stories can’t influence each other...?”

“Correct.”

“Ah... So, the current Yuseong is in that situation. If Film Strip No. 1 is our Yuseong, then Film Strip No. 41’s Yuseong is the catastrophe. But because their stories are entirely independent, changes to our Yuseong won’t affect the catastrophe version...”

As expected, Sangah quickly grasped the concept.

“But I still have one question. If the current Yuseong dies, wouldn’t the catastrophe still persist?”

“Although the contents of the tapes can’t influence each other, the two tapes are still ‘connected.’”

“...What do you mean?”

“If a fire ignites the front tape, what do you think will happen?”

Sangah let out a small gasp.

“The back tape would... burn as well.”

Exactly. Because the two worldlines were forcibly linked, the death of our Yuseong would also result in the demise of the catastrophe version.

However, changes to the current Yuseong wouldn’t suddenly alter the catastrophe. This ambiguous paradox was the core of this particular catastrophe.

“Dokja-ssi, you sure know a lot. I’ve heard of parallel universe theories, but this one is new to me.”

I nodded awkwardly. Of course she wouldn’t know. After all, this was a theory concocted by the author of Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse. And as I’d said before, there was a reason that story didn’t do so well.

Shortly afterward, with a soft scraping sound, the frothing waves of the Han River settled. We had finally reached the opposite shore.

The Queen Mirvad gently set us down before disappearing back into the river.

It was only then that the tension seemed to drain from Yuseong. She let out a deep sigh as though her very soul was escaping her body.

“You did well.”

“Yes.”

Yuseong looked oddly flushed. It seemed she was happy to receive praise. There was no one left now who would give her such words.

It was then that I felt a menacing hostility emanating from the Jeongle of buildings in Yongsan District.

A massive shadow loomed between the structures, and a colossal green scythe appeared.

...A giant mantis?

Perched atop the Monarch-level Insect were boys looking down at me.

“Dokja hyung?”

Lee Gilyeong, wearing a tilted snapback, and Han Donghoon, donning headphones, were riding the mantis. Sliding down its body with a swift motion, Gilyeong launched himself straight into my arms.

His snapback fell off, revealing his short, bristly hair as I caught him.

It had been exactly one week since we’d last seen each other.

Vvrrrrrr.

A soft buzzing sound followed, and I glanced at my smartphone. It was a message from Han Donghoon.

―Nice to see you again, hyung.

“It’s been so long. Can’t you just talk to me now?”

―Nope.

Gilyeong and Yuseong immediately engaged in a peculiar standoff. Gilyeong’s hair twitched as if they were antennae, while Yuseong bristled with hostility, her fine hairs standing on end.

“Ahjussi, that boy keeps glaring at me.”

“Hyung, who’s that girl?”

It seemed that like recognized like. One was a Beast Master, and the other... a Bug Master. Would they get along? Who knew?

I turned to Gilyeong.

“Have you found Huiwon-ssi yet?”

“No. But I think I know where she is. I sent out some insects to track her. She’s in the north.”

The north meant the domain of the King of Wanderers. Perhaps Jeong Huiwon had made contact with that group.

“I even knew you’d be coming, hyung. I sent out a bunch of water bugs.”

Now that he mentioned it, there were more insects perched on Gilyeong than before. What used to be only cockroaches had grown to include others. Shin Yuseong wrinkled her nose in visible disgust.

After checking on the group’s capabilities, I came to a decision.

“We should stay here for the remaining two days. Focus on increasing your skill proficiencies as much as possible. If you have extra time, collect more coins. Use them to max out your general stats. And... Sangah-ssi.”

“Yes.”

“Have you contacted your family?”

At the mention of family, Sangah’s face darkened significantly.

As expected, it seemed she hadn’t yet been able to reach them.

“Donghoon.”

Han Donghoon nodded silently. He had the Wide-Area Internet skill, which allowed for external communication.

Moments later, Sangah’s smartphone buzzed with a message: the internet was now connected. Staring at the screen in disbelief, Sangah looked up at me with her eyes teary.

I nodded and spoke.

“Let them know about the situation here. Once this scenario ends, the outskirts of Seoul will no longer be a safe zone.”

“...What exactly is going to happen?”

“Tell them to prepare for anything. Right now, that’s the best we can do.”

“Dokja-ssi, aren’t you going to contact anyone?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“But—”

“My family is in Seoul.”

“In Seoul? Then...”

“She’ll be fine.”

I silently gazed toward the north. As if waiting for my cue, the system message rang out.

[Someone in the north has defeated the Catastrophe of Water.]

It seemed the King of Wanderers had successfully completed their task.

Now, the only one left was the final catastrophe: the Catastrophe of Floods.

「A dazzling flash of sword light pierced the air with a series of shrill sounds. Within moments, dozens of slashes filled the space. The ghostly aura burning in Huiwon’s eyes became honed and focused as her two blades came to a halt.

“That should do for training.”

Inspecting her swords meticulously, Huiwon smiled with satisfaction. A middle-aged woman across from her returned the smile faintly.

“Jeon Woochi’s magic is truly extraordinary.”

“Huiwon-ssi’s swordsmanship is remarkable too. Once you gain a patron, I may no longer be able to match you.”

“You’re too kind.”

Huiwon gazed down at her pale blue prison uniform. Over the past week, she had owed much to these people, a debt that couldn’t be easily repaid even if she had all the time in the world. The middle-aged woman asked.

“Have you really decided not to join our group, the <Nouvelle Vague>? The king would be overjoyed if you did.”

“Sorry, but I have comrades waiting for me.”

Scratching her cheek in embarrassment, Huiwon’s apology sounded sincere. The woman offered a wistful smile, having already learned who Jeng Huiwon’s comrades were.

“I hope they understand just how much effort you’ve been putting in for them.”

“They’ll know.”

Huiwon glanced at the sky with a slightly annoyed expression.

“I bet they’re watching me even now.”」

Honestly, I couldn’t tell who the real Omniscient Reader was anymore.

In any case, Huiwon seemed to be growing steadily. I had been worried about her as a character who hadn’t stood out much in the original work, but seeing her progress proved that my choices hadn’t been wrong.

Switching to the [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint], I scanned other perspectives.

Unfortunately, only a few scenes were available.

Hmm? What was this?

The screen flickered briefly before displaying an all-too-familiar face.

...Was that me?

Wait a second. Those kids...

「“Hey, you.”

Gilyeong’s voice was sharp and hostile.

“Get away from hyung while I’m being nice.”

Sticking close to my side, Yuseong replied nonchalantly.

“Make me.”

“Where does a mutt like you—”

“Don’t talk to me, you bug boy.”

Gilyeong hesitated. The cockroaches and water bugs on his head twitched menacingly. Regaining his composure, Gilyeong fired back.

“Hyung doesn’t like people like you.”

“I know exactly who Ahjussi likes.”

“...You do? Then who?”

“It’s a certain unnie. So—”

Gilyeong smirked.

“You must not know, but—”」

Just as the conversation was getting interesting, I woke up.

Quickly looking around, I saw that Yuseong and Gilyeong were asleep, leaning against each other.

...Was that just a dream?

“Dokja-ssi, is something wrong?”

Sangah, who was standing guard, asked. I shook my head lightly.

It must have been a dream.

As I lay back down, a hushed whisper reached my ears.

‘Hey, bug. Did you cuddle ahjussi earlier?’

‘...So what?’

‘Are you a baby?’

I guess it wasn’t a dream after all.

“Kids, it’s time to sleep.”

Sangah’s voice brought silence once more, followed by the soft sound of snoring.

The two remaining days passed in the blink of an eye.

[The sub scenario – Survival Activities has ended.]

Hearing the system message, everyone rose and prepared themselves. It had been a long and short scenario.

In the air, Bihyeong’s message flickered.

―9,421.

A random number. Then another message.

―9,513.

What was this?

―What do you think? 9,611.

I immediately realized what it was.

Oh, right. I had set a goal of reaching 10,000 subscribers.

[The constellations favoring the Korean peninsula are nervous about the increasing number of subscribers.]

I turned to Bihyeong.

‘Did you do it?’

―...I tried, but I’m not sure it’ll work. Good luck. 9,781.

The swirling Great Hole in the sky emitted ominous signs. Thunder rolled intermittently, and a mid-grade dokkaebi appeared with a crackling sound.

[You’ve all been waiting for this, haven’t you?]

The mid-grade dokkaebi looked haggard, as if the Bureau had been giving him a hard time.

[Did you enjoy the survival activities? Finally, the main scenario you’ve been waiting for will begin. There were some schedule changes due to complications, but... well. I’m sure it’ll be as exciting as you’ve hoped.]

The dokkaebi surveyed us with a displeased expression.

[I heard you’ve already dealt with four out of the five catastrophes. Your efforts have been commendable. However, let me tell you this: compared to the final catastrophe, the others were child’s play.]

And it wasn’t an exaggeration. Even if the previous catastrophes combined their strength, they were nothing compared to the Catastrophe of Floods.

Everyone’s faces stiffened with tension.

[The success or failure of this scenario will determine whether all your efforts until now were in vain, or if everything ends here. Honestly, there’s a 90% chance it’ll all go to ruin. But fortunately, there are those who pity your plight.]

I clenched my fist. It was finally beginning.

The last event before the fifth scenario.

[Now, let’s begin the second patron selection.]

Footnotes:

[1]

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