Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Novel MTL - Chapter 573

Chapter 573

573 Episode 4. An Unwalked Road (1)
Episode 4. An Unwalked Road

「 So we are each other’s past, each other’s future. 」

—The Prophet Anna Croft.

An instant before I hit the water, I was certain my mind would shatter, despite having spent coins to reinforce my body.

[1,800 coins have been invested into ‘Physique’.]

[Physique Lv.4 → Physique Lv.10]

[Your physique level has increased dramatically!]

[Your physical durability has increased dramatically!]

[Coins Possessed: 1,800 C]

The impact sent a wave of numbness through my entire body, and a deafening roar filled my ears. I could feel the chilling cold of the river rapidly sapping my warmth.

Messages from the constellations were the only things anchoring my fading awareness.

[The constellation ‘Sneaking Schemer’ appreciates your survivability.]

[500 coins have been sponsored.]

[The constellation ‘Rice Cake-Eating Tiger’ is sponsoring you!]

[The constellation ‘Primordial Cow’ is sponsoring you!]

[The constellation ‘Nail-Eating Rat’ is sponsoring you!]

[The constellation ‘Dog Who Threw Himself into the Flames’ is sponsoring you!]

[800 coins have been additionally sponsored.]

I also recognized the modifiers of the returning animal constellations.

[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ likes your heartlessness.]

[300 coins have been sponsored.]

[The constellation ‘Commander of the Red Cosmos’ praises your repentance.]

[100 coins have been sponsored.]

Then there were the Black Flame Dragon and Jophiel.

I clenched my jaw.
Somehow, I had to make it through this.

[Coins Possessed: 3,500 C]

Holding my breath, I forced myself to assess my surroundings and spotted a glimmering form. It was Jung Heewon.
She was completely unconscious, her body sinking deeper into the dark water.

I swam toward her with everything I had, but my arm, with its torn ligaments, was useless. There was only one choice left.
I sank my teeth into her arm.

I choked as river water flooded into my mouth. Pressure built behind my eyes, but I refused to let go.
If Jung Heewon died here, this entire attempt would be for nothing.

My strength was ebbing away. Even as my consciousness dimmed, I kept my grip on her arm.
Please, wake up.

Then, a powerful surge of water came from somewhere. As my breath caught, I saw a massive shape moving toward us from the distance.
An ichthyosaur.
A 7th grade monster species, a sea serpent.

A flash of sharp teeth was the last thing I saw before utter darkness consumed me.

rlaehrwk25: Missed it

«Inho-ssi. Inho-ssi!»

I returned to awareness to the feeling of someone slapping my cheek. The first thing I saw was the blinding light of a cell phone flash, then Jung Heewon’s face came into focus.

«Heewon-ssi?»

«Ha…… Really.»

Jung Heewon let out a heavy sigh of relief. When I tried to stand, the ground beneath me tilted and swayed violently.

She grabbed my shoulder to steady me. «Be careful, or we’ll capsize.»

The river churned violently outside our little pocket of darkness. I realized we were perched on the wreckage of what might have been a small plastic rescue boat from the Han River.

The air was thick and damp. I turned my phone’s flashlight around, illuminating walls of crimson flesh above, below, and on all sides.
The memory of what happened right before I blacked out returned.
We had been swallowed by an ichthyosaur.

«You look pleased we survived. We’re still about to die,» I said, coughing up water with a bitter smile.

The cell phone light cast our shadows against the glowing red stomach lining of the creature.

«Heewon-ssi.»

«Don’t bother.»

Jung Heewon spoke without turning to look at me, as if she already knew what I intended to say. «Inho-ssi, you’re a bit of a strange person.»

«I suppose I am.»

«You keep saying the most bizarre things.»

First I claimed to love her, then I said she wasn’t even my companion. Jung Heewon had to be bewildered.
If I had a friend like Cheon Inho, I would have ended the friendship immediately.

«I am sorry, for what it’s worth. I didn’t mean it. I thought he might let you go if I said that.»
«Is he a psychopath?»
I took a moment before answering. «That’s right.»
«A friend of yours?»
«Not a friend.»
«Then he’s someone you know.» I gave a light nod.

She fell silent for a moment, deep in thought, before speaking again. «By the way, my arm hurts. How hard did you bite me?»
A clear set of human teeth marks were visible on her right forearm.

Embarrassed, I replied, «My apologies.»
«I’m glad you did, though. The pain is actually what woke me up.»
«Are you hurt anywhere else? The wound from your fight earlier—»
«It’s fine, it was only a shallow cut.»

…A shallow cut? From an attack by that ‘Yoo Joonghyuk’?

«Anyway, what’s the plan now? We’re trapped.»
I estimated the size of the stomach cavity around us. It was a relief to see it wasn’t the larger sea commander that had swallowed Kim Dokja in the story.
«This might be for the best. We’re safer in here than we were out in the Han River.»
«What about its digestive juices? Won’t we just melt?»
«We need to get out before that happens.»
«How? We’re not Pinocchio.»
«Pinocchio?» I asked.
«Don’t you know that story?» she retorted.
«No, I know it.» I was referring to the tale of the wooden puppet whose nose grew when he lied.

«Well, Pinocchio got eaten by a whale and managed to escape.» It seemed Jung Heewon believed we were in a comparable situation.

[The constellation ‘Long-Nosed Liar’ nods.]

I stared at the message for a blank second before collecting myself. «Let me think for a moment. We need a strategy.»
«Alright. What should I do?»
«Well… if you can remember how Pinocchio got out of the whale’s stomach, tell me.»
«You think that will actually help?»
«Just covering all possibilities.»

Of course, the fairy tale didn’t provide a real guide for escaping an ichthyosaur.

「 That will be Omniscient Reader. 」

While Jung Heewon pondered this seriously, I closed my eyes and mentally reviewed the sequence Kim Dokja had used to escape this very predicament.
But to use that method, I required assistance from a certain someone.

‘Bihyung.’

Soon, I felt the connection of ‘dokkaebi communication’ establish.

—Hoo…… So this is the situation you’ve landed in.

Bihyung’s voice was full of dejection.

—I don’t understand why so many anomalies are occurring this season.

‘Have you thought about my proposal?’

—I sent a message agreeing to the contract, did you not receive it?

As he spoke, a window materialized in front of me.

—-<Stream Contract Agreement>

1. Incarnation Cheon Inho (hereinafter referred to as gap) will enter an exclusive contract with the dokkaebi Bihyung (hereinafter referred to as eul) until all scenarios are completed or until his death.

……
—-It felt surreal to see this contract again.

—This is truly a special exception. I wasn’t going to do it originally…….

It wasn’t difficult to guess when Bihyung had made his decision.
Likely, right after witnessing the confrontation between Yoo Joonghyuk and me. Judging by the coins that had come in, the constellations had watched our clash with great interest.

I scanned Bihyung’s contract swiftly, approving standard clauses and striking out unfavorable terms.

—You’re quite proficient at this, aren’t you?

‘All contracts tend to follow a similar pattern.’

In truth, the ‘Stream Contract Agreement’ strongly resembled the ‘Management Contract Agreements’ I was accustomed to signing. It reminded me of my early days as a rookie writer, when I had fallen victim to predatory contracts.

—The split will be 8:2. You keep eight, I take two.
‘That’s generous, but I thought the standard was 7:3?’
—After seeing your performance earlier, I decided you warranted a larger share.

He was probably concerned about another dokkaebi poaching me. A smart tactical move, but it handed me the advantage.

‘Since you’re being so accommodating, I have one more request.’
—No more adjustments to the ratio. This is my final offer.
‘Forget the ratio. I want the scenario.’
—Scenario?
‘There’s a hidden scenario here.’

Bihyung was silent for a beat.

—How could you possibly know that?
‘Does the how really matter?’

Bihyung sighed again, muttering about the Bureau, probability, and sanctions.

—Well, fine. Yes, there is one. Though someone else has already acquired it.

Someone had already triggered this scenario?

[A new hidden scenario has arrived!]

I checked the scenario window.

<Hidden Scenario – Serpent Slayer>

Category: Hidden
Difficulty: B
Clear Conditions: Kill the ichthyosaur ‘sea serpent’ and escape from its stomach.
Time Limit: 5 days
Reward: 4,000 coins
Failure: Death

The reward wasn’t as substantial as Kim Dokja’s Hidden Scenario had been, but the difficulty was correspondingly lower. It should be sufficient to get the injured me and Jung Heewon through this.

—Any other objections to the contract? Do you require anything else?
‘I need access to the Dokkaebi Bag.’

The ‘Dokkaebi Bag’. This was, in fact, the most significant advantage of the ‘stream contract’.

Bihyung immediately projected the interface for the ‘Dokkaebi Bag’ in front of me.

‘Don’t you need to run an advertisement?’
—An advertisement?
‘Won’t you get in trouble if the constellations see me using the Dokkaebi Bag?’

Bihyung sounded almost dismissive, as if that were the least of his worries. —It’s not against any rules. You’re not the only incarnation who gets to use the Dokkaebi Bag, so it’s irrelevant.

Indeed, the constellations didn’t seem to mind my access to the store.

[The constellation ‘Pig Living in a Brick House’ wonders what you’ll buy.]

Instead, they watched with keen interest to see what I would purchase. It was a definite shift from the original narrative.

Regardless, I now had everything I needed.
‘Let’s sign, then.’

[The stream contract has concluded.]
[You have received 1,000 coins as a down payment.]

An unspoken down payment on top of everything… Was Bihyung actually a decent guy? Maybe Kim Dokja, who had spurned such a reasonable dokkaebi, was the bigger jerk?

—I need to attend to another district. Contact me if you require anything.

It appeared Bihyung had numerous other areas to monitor besides mine. I was somewhat relieved by that; it meant there were likely many other surviving readers in this world.

‘Take care.’

After the ‘dokkaebi communication’ ended, I immediately opened the ‘Dokkaebi Bag’.

[The product search function is activated.]
[The product search function is limited to 5 times a day. Any additional searches will cost 100 coins per search.]

The benefits were just as described in the original story. I mentally listed the items I wanted to acquire first: Ancient Dragon’s Heart, Great Demon’s Eyes. There were a few other items I had created in the settings, but the first search had to be for this one.

[The related product search is completed.]

The first item Kim Dokja obtained in the main story.
*Purest Sword Force (白淸罡氣) – Stock: 0

It was already sold out? Apparently, another reader had accessed the ‘Dokkaebi Bag’ first and bought it.

«I think Pinocchio,» a voice said suddenly, causing me to turn around.

Jung Heewon was muttering to me with a look of intense concentration on her face. «I wonder if he told such a huge lie that his nose grew long enough to punch a hole through the whale’s stomach and he just climbed out?»

I could only stare at her blankly. I couldn’t believe she was still fixated on Pinocchio.

«That’s a good idea,» I said.

Jung Heewon narrowed her eyes at my praise. «It’s not.»
«No, it’s genuinely a good idea. It’s similar to what I was planning to do.»

I reopened the ‘Dokkaebi Bag’ and searched for the specific items: ‘Mucus of the Hammer Seahorse’ and ‘Stone Hog’s Pointed Thorn’.
These were the very items Kim Dokja had purchased to escape the ichthyosaur. In the main story, he bought four of each. I bought eight of each.

[1,600 coins have been consumed.]

I was curious about other items, but I lacked the coins to search for them now. I awkwardly tucked one of the thorns into my waistband with my injured right hand, then handed the remaining seven thorns and all eight mucus bags to Jung Heewon.

«Take these.»

Jung Heewon looked at them in surprise. «Where did you get these all of a sudden?»
«This is the key to Operation Pinocchio.»
«What?»

Once again, I couldn’t execute this plan alone.

[The constellation ‘Sneaking Schemer’ is looking at you with interest.]

Both of my arms were practically useless. I needed someone else to implant the thorns into the stomach wall, just as Kim Dokja had done. I looked up at the digestive juices coating the interior and said, «From now on, think of this thorn as Pinocchio’s nose.»

Fortunately, I could borrow Kim Dokja’s wisdom this time.

That night, I had a dream. It was less intentional sleep and more a lapse into unconsciousness.
Usually, my dreams are straightforward—if a pig appears, it’s a pig dream; if a dragon appears, it’s a dragon dream. I suppose you could name this one.
This dream,

「 Cheon Inho. 」

It was a dream of a Kim Dokja.