Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Novel MTL - Chapter 556

Chapter 556

556 Episode 2. Rewrite (1)

“Author, have you ever thought about what truly defines a living being?”

—A comment left on the sixth chapter of *Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint*.

I recalled sharing that joke once with Ji Eunyoo. I had asked her if we would manage to survive were we to fall into the opening scenario of *Omniscient Reader*.

Ji Eunyoo had given me this reply.

—To be honest, I don’t think I could. But what about you, author?

What had my answer been? The memory was lost to me.

All I knew for certain was that the joke had now become my reality.

「 Oh, my god. 」

The situation was so utterly bizarre that this particular punctuation felt like the only appropriate response.

I touched my face, studying my reflection in the dark screen of the subway door again and again. It wasn’t because I was handsome. There wasn’t anything strange about the door itself.

My face had fundamentally changed.

“What in the world…”

The eyes slanted into a perpetual smirk, the thin lips that seemed to naturally curl with a hint of cruelty.

I knew I had seen this face before.

Sure enough, a life-sized standee at the entrance to the event theater bore the exact same face. But I couldn’t put a name to it.

Was he some background character I never bothered to name?

[The free service period for Planetary System #8612 has concluded.]

[The main scenario will now commence.]

All around the subway station, people began to murmur in confusion.

“What is this?”

“A prank?”

“I’m not the only one seeing this, am I?”

“There’s something here. Hey, can you feel that? It’s like a wall.”

A specific radius of the station was enclosed by a transparent barrier. It was a device I knew well.

The scenario mechanism that prevents anyone from leaving until specific conditions are fulfilled.

“Where are the station staff? Why isn’t there an announcement?”

“Just wait. Someone will come.”

Now, there could be no doubt.

「 I had taken possession of a character from *Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint*. 」

A cold tremor slowly crept up my spine.

「 An extra whose name I don’t even know. 」

It was a common trope in web novels, yet I could think of no reason why I should be the one experiencing it.

Why me? Had I earned someone’s bitter hatred? Had one of the characters thrown me in here?

Was the Han Sooyoung from the event theater the real one?

Then, was it her doing? It was possible. Han Sooyoung, who despised that I pretended to be the author of *Omniscient Reader*, might have done this.

It could also be Yoo Joonghyuk. The way I had described every ounce of his suffering was reason enough for him to hold a grudge.

Maybe it was Kim Dokja, seeking revenge for me exposing the protagonist’s secret preferences to the entire universe. Or perhaps he did it for no reason at all, simply because he has a terrible personality.

Damn it, I don’t know. Figuring it out now is pointless.

I forced the swirling doubts from my mind, focusing only on the certainties.

One, I was inside the world of *Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint*.

Two, I am inhabiting another person’s body.

Three, the scenarios are beginning.

I swiftly scanned my surroundings. If the first scenario is starting, I need to identify any advantage I can use.

First, I am in a subway station.

It’s on the orange line, so that’s line 3. The station name is…

「 Geumho Station. 」

I frowned deeply.

Information about Geumho Station surfaced in my mind. It was the protagonist Kim Dokja’s initial stronghold and the location of a terrible massacre.

Of course, that happened later in the first volume. Fortunately, I hadn’t arrived at that point yet… though in a way, this moment could be even more dangerous.

[Ah, aah. ^&@@#%.]

I felt a sinking sensation, as if cold weights were dragging me into the depths.

I never imagined I would see a Dokkaebi with my own eyes. Two small horns. A creature covered in fluffy fur, wearing a tiny straw mat.

I remember. This was his role in the beginning.

[Can all of you hear me?]

Kim Dokja’s streaming partner, the Dokkaebi Bihyung.

[Well, it’s at least a bit quieter here than in the other zones…]

Bihyung glanced back at that moment, and our eyes met. I quickly averted my gaze. The Bihyung from the later story who grows sympathetic to Kim Dokja is one thing; the Bihyung of now is a deranged monster who thinks nothing of smashing incarnations’ heads for amusement.

Thankfully, I didn’t see anyone getting their skull broken for arguing with Bihyung like in the original story.

Especially not that large man over there.

[Alright, I’ll explain what’s happening, so listen carefully.]

I knew exactly what Bihyung was about to say next. I’d written variations of this speech dozens of times.

He was likely running an identical script simultaneously in every scenario zone under his control.

[You have all been living for free for far too long. Hasn’t life been overly generous? You were born, and you breathed, ate, excreted, and reproduced at will without paying a single coin in return! Ha! What a delightful world you’ve enjoyed!]

Listening to him, I wondered if this was what it would be like if a movie of *Omniscient Reader* were made.

The critical issue was that I was now merely an extra in that film.

[The stars above have watched over your planet with immense generosity, but that ends today. The time has come for you to repay them for their kindness. It’s better for you to see for yourselves than to listen to my tedious explanations, correct?]

As if bored of reciting the dull lines, Bihyung snapped his fingers.

[The #BI-7623 channel is now open.]

[The constellations have entered.]

A small, floating window materialized in the air above the confused people who looked up.

[The main scenario has arrived!]

<Main Scenario #1 — Proof of Value>
Type: Main
Difficulty: F
Clear Conditions: Kill one or more living beings.
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Reward: 300 coins
Failure: Death

The Dokkaebi’s translucent form began to fade away, leaving behind a vague, unsettling smile.

[Then, I wish you all the best of luck. Please show me a compelling story.]

The reality of my situation truly struck home as the scenario window hovered before me.

The timer was already counting down in real time.

It read 30 minutes now, but as time dwindled, the penalties would begin.

“What does this mean?”

Uncertain of what was happening, people started talking amongst themselves, calling out. In the distance, I could see individuals scratching and pounding against the transparent wall.

I took a slow, deep breath and muttered under my breath.

‘Open Status Window.’

[The Status Window cannot be activated at this time due to a system error.]

I narrowed my eyes.

It wasn’t working?

‘Fourth Wall.’

I called out the skill, just in case.

Kim Dokja possessed the [Fourth Wall] skill from the very beginning, and as a penalty for having it, his access to the Status Window was restricted.

So, if I also have the [Fourth Wall]…

‘Fourth Wall.’

………

I don’t.

Then why won’t it open?

I have no idea.

I wrote this damn story.

First, I’m the author, not the reader, so I should have skills like [Writer]… Maybe [Avatar].

I concentrated, trying to activate [Avatar] and other skills exclusive to the writer. But there was no change, except for a growing tension in my nerves.

[The remaining time has decreased.]

[28 minutes remain.]

While I struggled fruitlessly, the crowd in the station began to separate into two groups.

One group wore sweatshirts bearing the same logo.

“Everyone, please remain calm and gather over here!”
“Come to the deacon!”

They clutched tissues printed with their church’s name; they were clearly all from the same congregation.

On the other side, a large man with a tattoo on his forearm was rallying people.
“Hey, everyone, come over here and help!”

This was the same man who’d earlier been in danger of having his head cracked by Bihyung. He pushed against the transparent wall with both hands and shouted at the others.
“Everyone push together! We might be able to break through!”

Obviously, struggling against a wall was safer than attacking a Dokkaebi.

But some people weren’t convinced.
“What if that monster does something because we’re causing trouble?”
“Then what? If you’re not helping, move aside. Push! Harder! Put your back into it!”

Encouraged, some of the hesitant bystanders joined in, throwing their weight against the barrier. A rhythmic “cha, cha, cha” chant echoed, and the church group, after watching for a moment, decided to participate.
“Everyone, let’s assist them!”

At the deacon’s signal, the congregation rushed forward and added their strength to the effort. It was a surreal sight, dozens of people pressed against the transparent wall like actors in a mime show.

I slowly edged away from the crowd struggling with the wall. A few steps away, I caught my reflection again in the screen door.

First, it seems I’m possessing a character with poor prospects.

A body whose physical stats likely don’t average above 1.

This is probably why I wouldn’t be confident in a fight against a shirtless Kim Dokja.

Kim Dokja.

I need to find a way to meet him.

I don’t know what caused this possession, but if web novel logic holds, I should return to reality once the scenarios reach their conclusion.

Therefore, I must meet the main character of *Omniscient Reader*, the man who dies and resurrects for his companions, and I must earn his favor. It’s the only way to improve my odds of survival in this brutal world.

But first, I have to survive *here* before I can meet Kim Dokja or anyone else.

「 The first scenario demands the death of ‘one or more living things’. 」

Kim Dokja cleared it by crushing the insects and their eggs that Lee Gilyoung collected.

But he’s the protagonist, blessed with luck. I am an extra, and extras are not fortunate.

As a mere side character, I cannot rely on such luck.

「 So, I formulated a plan. 」

I fixed my gaze on the vending machine ahead of me.

If you weren’t lucky enough to be in the same subway car as Kim Dokja, then landing in a station was the next best thing.

Here, this vending machine was my ‘bug trap’.

“Push! Harder!”
“Aaaahhh!”

I gently rocked the vending machine in time with the pushers’ chanting.

「 Subway vending machines, with their refrigerators and freezers, are notorious for housing many insects. 」

I remembered reading an article like that when I was researching for the 200th chapter of *Omniscient Reader*.

I lost count of how many times I shook it.

Finally, something thudded softly, and a nondescript bug scurried out from beneath the machine.

I swiftly cupped my hands together, trapping the fleeing insect.

Luck was on my side. I would survive the first scenario.

I immediately prepared to crush the bug in my palm.

「 It might be carrying eggs. 」

My hesitation wasn’t born from some philosophical debate about the bug’s right to life.

I paused because I recalled a specific line from *Omniscient Reader*.

「 An ‘egg’ is considered a living thing. 」

Within the scenario’s rules, insect eggs are recognized as living beings. Kim Dokja’s solution was to crush hundreds of eggs to gain a significant advantage.

But what would have happened if Kim Dokja had distributed those eggs to everyone on the subway?

I glanced over at the people desperately hammering against the transparent wall.

People fighting against a wall to live.

I knew who the people of Geumho Station were. People who would not hesitate to take another’s life to ensure their own survival.

For a fleeting moment, I understood what it might feel like to be Kim Dokja.

「 What would Kim Dokja do if he could relive the first scenario? 」

Suddenly, a *chuchuchut* sound almost made me drop the bug.

It wasn’t the sound of Probability.

The cell phone in my pocket was vibrating.

After a moment’s hesitation, I slipped the bug from my fist into my coat pocket, ensuring the zipper was closed tight.

I opened my phone. A new message awaited.

[You have 1 new message.]

A message?

—Sender: Representative KimDokja
—Author. Congratulations on the launch of your new side story.

I stared at the message, my eyes filled with suspicion.

—We are sending a small gift in anticipation of your new series.