Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Novel MTL - Chapter 601

Chapter 601

I surveyed the theater’s basement level.

Seventeen individuals were gathered there, clearly not your average civilians.

[Someone has used ‘Sneak Peek’ on you!]

[Someone has used ‘Attribute Detection’ on you!]

Messages alerting me to detection skills popped up, as if they had been anticipating my arrival. These weren’t as advanced as Yoo Joonghyuk’s [Sage’s Eye], but they were still uncommon skills to possess so early. It seemed the readers were also exceptional in their own right.

[‘Sneak Peek’ failed for an unknown reason!]

[‘Attribute Detection’ failed for an unknown reason!]

Naturally, the skills had no effect on me.

I wasn’t sure why they failed. Then again, I can’t even view my own ‘Attribute Window’, so it would be strange if others could. Perhaps I really did have a [Fourth Wall].

‘Fourth Wall.’

I called out inwardly, but received no answer. Maybe my mental fortitude was simply strong enough to block them on my own?

«Ugh.»

I noticed a couple of people flinch, likely feeling the rebound from their failed skills. One was an elderly man leaning against a stall, a pipe in his mouth, and the other was a woman carrying a long iron rod on her back. They were probably the ones who had just tried to probe me.

I quickly pulled up their details using the [Readers’ Comments List].

[Checking the reader’s profile information.]

ID: barampoong
Platform: Textia
Total Comments: 31
Reader Level: 35
Number of Reads: 6

ID: strawberry1137
Platform: Series
Total Comments: 112
Reader Level: 46
Number of Reads: 8

The old man is 0.06 of Killer King.
The woman is 0.08 of Killer King.

Somehow, I’d begun measuring every reader in Killer King units. I continued scanning the others. That man over there is 0.005 of Killer King, the one beside him is 0.001, the next is 0.0006… Quite a few hadn’t even finished the novel. Beyond that, no one else had a notably high number of reads. Everyone was just doing their best.

«Isn’t that Lee Jihye?»

A low murmur came from the crowd. I glanced back at Lee Jihye with a twinge of sympathy. Even if no one else was recognized, Lee Jihye was destined to stand out. She was a character straight from the pages of a novel. A zipped-up hoodie, a ponytail, a long sword, and a face too cute to ignore ensured she was noticed.

«Hmm?»

Lee Jihye shot a glare toward the voice, and people immediately looked away.

Kyung Sein whispered to me, «Should I go talk to them?»

I shook my head. Kyung Sein was sociable and could probably befriend anyone, but…

«We should be careful here.»

So far, I’d been fortunate. Kyung Sein, Dansoo ahjussi, and Ye Hyunwoo were all decent people. But Killer King’s advice was sound. As he’d said, there was no guarantee every reader would be friendly.

[Oh, we have quite a crowd now.]

The theater doors at the back slammed shut, and a dokkaebi’s voice echoed from the air.

[Now that the final participants have arrived… All of you in the basement, please proceed to the first floor.]

The ‘Theater Dungeon’ was a hidden scenario. Normally, a dokkaebi wouldn’t interfere.

«There are more people upstairs. We need to stay alert,» Dansoo ahjussi cautioned.

We exchanged brief looks and ascended to the first floor. In the lobby, a dokkaebi in a suit was waiting.

[Welcome. I am Paul, an intermediate dokkaebi.]

The intermediate dokkaebi Paul. He had appeared in Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint—botching the ‘Disaster of the Floods’ scenario, getting beaten by Kim Dokja, and subsequently exiled. Running into him here in the 41st turn felt peculiar.

[Hmph… So many arrived this time. It’s hardly a ‘hidden scenario’ anymore.]

By now, at least forty people filled the first-floor lobby.

[And you are all rather late. Those who found this theater hours ago are already well ahead on the upper levels.]

A screen materialized on the lobby ceiling, displaying other incarnations assaulting the higher floors of the dungeon.

—What’s the big deal? This is easy!

A young man with white-dyed hair and a tattered school uniform laughed as he slashed through zombies on screen. A dark aura coiled around his sharp knife. I knew immediately who he was.

「 Kim Namwoon. 」

I wasn’t the only one who recognized him. Some covered their mouths in shock, others stared wide-eyed.

—Hey, soldier, keep up. I’m going ahead of the captain. Don’t slow me down…

The Kim Namwoon of the 41st turn was still unmistakably himself. I noticed some readers smirking faintly, while others grew tense. Both reactions made sense. That ‘Kim Namwoon’ was the Kim Namwoon we knew, which made him extremely dangerous.

—Namwoon-ssi. This stage isn’t just about eliminating zombies…

I recognized the voice instantly. It was undeniably Lee Hyunsung.

The readers’ expressions shifted. They were finally getting a glimpse of another member of Kim Dokja’s Company.

Then, Kim Namwoon’s scream pierced through.

—Uaaaak! What is that!

The screen shuddered violently. A series of sharp, screeching sounds followed. A white coat fluttered lightly at the edge of the frame before the broadcast cut out.

[That concludes the preview.]

Paul chuckled, clearly amused. A nervous stir moved through the lobby.

«Was that… really him?»
«Just as I thought. If we can get up there…»
«This isn’t following the original story.»

I understood their confusion. The ‘white coat’ was an iconic symbol in Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.

«Inho-ssi. That was Kim Dokja, right?» Kyung Sein whispered, her eyes alight with hope.

「 There might be a Kim Dokja somewhere in this world. 」

I could relate. Every reader here was surely hoping for the same. I steadied myself and replied.

«This is the 41st turn.»
«But what if something unexpected happened, and Kim Dokja is here—»
«Maybe.»

I responded, fingering the lemon candy in my pocket.
«And even if he did come here like us, it’s not time for the coat yet.»
«Ah. Right, the Infinite Dimension Space Coat is…» Kyung Sein’s face fell.
«Then who was that just now?»
«We’ll find out when we go up.»

Lee Jihye, who had been staring at the screen, interjected, «Ahjussi. Let’s hurry. I don’t want to lose to that guy.»

I wondered who she meant. «Kim Namwoon?»
«What? How do you know his name?»
«He looks the part.»
«No, what—»

I turned my attention back to the intermediate dokkaebi, Paul. He was showing that footage for a reason, applying psychological pressure by stressing how ‘late’ we were. Usually, such a show would be unnecessary. But then again…

[As you saw, catching up to the incarnations above is impossible through ordinary means.]

Perhaps there was a new scenario I didn’t know about.

[That is why I have prepared a special event for those who arrived later.]

[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is intrigued.]
[A constellation who hasn’t revealed their modifier is watching with interest.]
[The constellation ‘Rice Cake-Eating Tiger’ is concerned for the incarnations.]

I had a good idea what he was planning. That damn intermediate dokkaebi was starting to play games with the owner of this ‘Theater Dungeon’.

[Refer to the scenario description for specifics.]

[A new sub scenario has arrived!]

[Sub Scenario — Departure of the Cinema Trip]
Category: Sub
Difficulty: B
Clear Conditions: The ‘Cinema Trip’ staircase will open within the Theater Dungeon. Use it to quickly catch up to the leading groups. Roll the dice, clear the stages, and finish the ‘Theater Dungeon’ faster than the starters.
Time Limit: —
Reward: ???
Failure: —
* You may form teams of up to 3 members to begin your ‘Cinema Trip’.
* From the 1st to the 8th floor, each ‘staircase’ may lead to a [Normal Stage], [Bonus Stage], or [Trap Stage].
* Each stage has a chance to trigger a mission based on a specific ‘movie’. Completing the mission rewards a ‘dice’.
* You may advance a number of stairs equal to the number rolled on the ‘dice’.

I grasped the concept. It was a board game based on movies. We were the pieces, moving in groups of three, rolling dice to climb stairs. Landing on a stage meant completing a mission. To help us catch up, the stages were likely shorter than full movies.

«It’s like Bl⬛Mar, right? Ugh, the filter,» someone said. Both Kyung Sein and Dansoo ahjussi seemed to recognize the game. So did the other readers. After all, everyone in Korea knew it.

[You have 10 minutes to form teams.]

The incarnations immediately began sizing each other up. Those already in groups planned to stick together, while others searched anxiously for teammates.

—You two next to you. They’re Jung Heewon and Lee Jihye, correct?

A voice spoke directly into my ear. [Full Voice]. I hadn’t realized someone had already purchased that skill.

—Don’t look around.

The tone was commanding. I scanned the area from the corner of my eye. [Full Voice] used magic to transmit sound, so the user’s lips would be moving.

—I don’t know how you secured S-grade characters already, but join our group. We have three. Some have contracts with narrative-grade constellations, others possess S-grade items.

S-grade items and narrative-grade constellations. It wasn’t a bad offer. Until the next words came.

—You, Lee Jihye, and Jung Heewon. I’ll take up to three. We can split into two teams and advance together.

It didn’t take long to find the speaker: the woman with the iron rod who had tried to use [Attribute Detection] on me.

—Think it over and respond quickly. Remember, this is reality, not a story.

Nickname strawberry1137. 8 reads. I didn’t understand how she could be so confident after only eight reads. Then, another [Full Voice] reached me.

—Would you like to form a team?

This time, it was the old man. I could tell just by looking; he was the only one mumbling like a ventriloquist. Nickname barampoong. 6 reads.

—There are two of us. We may be fewer, but as you see, I have [Full Voice] and one S-grade skill. I believe your group has five… Perhaps we could combine forces?

Again, not a bad proposal. The behind-the-scenes maneuvering had already begun; these people were thorough. However, they weren’t the only readers present.

«Excuse me…»

A man in a faded sweatshirt, clutching a worn-out sword, tentatively raised his hand. He looked around, seemingly bewildered by his surroundings, and asked the question I’d been dreading.

«H-has anyone here read Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint?»

A collective sigh of disappointment filled the room. Judging by the reactions, he would have a hard time finding a team. Just then, a group emerged from the stalls at the back of the lobby.

«Why is everyone so hesitant? I doubt there’s a single person here who hasn’t read it.»

A group of five men and women. I hadn’t checked them with [Readers’ Comments List] yet. The man who appeared to be their leader spoke.

«This isn’t the time to be suspicious of each other.»

Several people gasped at his attire. A white coat and a long sword. He was definitely not Kim Dokja.

«We’re not here to fight amongst ourselves, are we? Our goal is to work together to clear this dungeon. I assume you all received the scenario at the Banquet.»

He used his deep voice to command the room. He was a persuasive speaker.

«I doubt any of you plan on getting killed. Have you forgotten what kind of world this is?»

The mood grew somber. The woman with the iron rod, who had been listening quietly, challenged him. «What’s your angle?»

«My angle?» The man smirked, as if he were Kim Dokja himself. «I’m closer to being a ‘Kim Dokja’ than anyone else in the world right now.»

The iron rod woman scoffed. «You?»
«Yes.»
«That confident?»
Indeed, the woman, an eight-time reader, arrogantly gripped her weapon.

The man simply laughed. «I’m not just talking about skill.» He drew the sword at his waist. I felt Kyung Sein inhale sharply beside me. Anyone would recognize it.

«Broken Faith…!»

A wave of excitement passed through the crowd. The iron rod woman narrowed her eyes. «You think a broken sword makes you Kim Dokja—»

*Wuuuuh.*

A blue-white energy shimmered along the man’s blade. An ether blade. Someone cried out in astonishment.

«P-Purest Sword Force?»
«It’s the Purest Sword Force!»

For the first time, the iron rod woman’s expression turned serious. The man gave her a faint smile, then slowly addressed the room.

«Your fear is understandable. But there’s no need to worry.»
«W-who are you? You’re not the real Kim Dokja.»
«Of course I’m not Kim Dokja.»

The man laughed, a hint of sadness in his expression. «But I doubt even ‘Kim Dokja’ knows more about this world than I do.»

Having captivated everyone with his performance, the man casually revealed his identity.

«I am the one who wrote 『Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint』.»