Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Novel MTL - Chapter 603

Chapter 603

603 Episode 10. Writer (4)
The individual who had posted the illicit documents was masquerading as the author.

I truly don’t understand what this world is coming to.

[The constellation, ‘Tiger Eating Rice Cake’, offers you encouragement regardless.]

The most likely explanation for how he evaded [Lie Detection] was that he had personally typed the words “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.”

Could he genuinely claim to have “written” that?

I found the judgment of [Lie Detection] to be ridiculous, but then a sense of amusement suddenly washed over me.

「 Then what does that make me? 」

Fingering the lemon candy in my pocket, I contemplated the true writer of this tale.

「 How much of this story can I rightfully claim to have written? 」

[The ‘Cinema Journey’ will commence shortly.]

Jung Heewon, having finished her preparations, looked back and asked me.
“Are we going by ourselves?”
“Yes.”

I took a brief survey of the other groups. Nearly all had reached the three-person maximum.

Right up to the last moment, a regret-filled [Electrical sound] hung in the air.
—You’re absolutely sure you won’t join our team?
—My apologies. Perhaps next time.

It was the woman with the steel helmet and the old man smoking a pipe.

Both teams were powerful, but allying with them could create complications in future scenarios.
More importantly,
“Let’s just focus on surviving.”

I couldn’t afford to be responsible for Sein and Dansu ahjussi.
“You take care as well, ahjussi.”

The two of them had formed a trio with Lee Jihye.
“If you can’t keep up, I’m leaving you behind.”
“Hey! I’ll do my best to stay with you!”

Lee Jihye was brusque on the surface, but she possessed a deeply affectionate heart.
Just as during the “Emergency Defense Battle,” Lee Jihye would not abandon those two in a crisis.
Naturally, the abilities of Sein and Dansu ahjussi were no longer weak.

He was probably the only elder here in possession of a constellation’s sacred relic.

[Hmm, it appears everyone is prepared.]

The dokkaebi Paul returned with a staticky *tsutsutsutsu*.
[However, I do see a few individuals who have yet to find a team…]

Paul added, after giving the lobby a quick scan.
[Those without a team need not worry excessively, as you will be randomly matched.]

Random matching?

[Beginning entry process.]
[You have been designated as the team representative.]
[Jung Heewon has joined your team.]
[Jung Jaewoo has joined your team.]

I was taken aback. I had intentionally not recruited teammates, so this forced matching was unexpected.
“Uh, hello over there.”

A man with a somewhat familiar face approached awkwardly, bowing his head.
It was likely Jung Jaewoo.
“It seems we’re on the same team… I’ll be in your care.”

On closer inspection, he was the reader who had earlier been calling out, «Who read it?» to the crowd.
I felt a pang of sympathy for him, shouting his lonely refrain, much like Kim Dokja always pushing “TWSA.”
Of course, appearances could be deceiving.

[The ‘List of Reader Comments’ is activated!]

ID: rala99
Platform: Series
Total Comments: 103
Reader Level: 19
Number of Reads: 1.62 times

* You may use coins to view comments written by this reader.
* You may currently check 3 comments for free.

The profile itself seemed ordinary, so I proceeded directly to the comments.

I’m here for the free cookies~
—(Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Chapter 1)

They said there’s an event, is it free up to this point??
—(Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Chapter 50)

I’ve exhausted all the cookies I got~~ But I’ll keep reading~~
—(Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Chapter 102)

I was momentarily speechless.
“Jaewoo-ssi, is it? I look forward to working with you.”
“Please take good care of me as well.”

Jung Heewon, observing from the side, offered a short greeting.
Jung Jaewoo seemed to recognize Jung Heewon, and he bowed his head with a look of awe.
“Me too! It’s an honor!”

Rather than partnering with a recklessly dangerous individual, someone this guileless was probably preferable.

Then, a small die materialized before my eyes.
[Roll the die.]

I picked up the die lightly.

The other readers around me who had thrown their dice first were cursing.
“Ah, damn it.”
“A 1 right from the start?“

A dark aura surrounded the dice showing a 1. Evidently, the die’s color changed based on the number rolled.
I studied the die in my hand.

If the scenario had advanced further, I could have acquired the narrative-grade story [God of Dice] for assistance.
“I’ll throw it now.”

After a quick glance at my party members, I tossed the die.
“Oh?”

The die shone with a golden light.
[The number on the die is 6.]
Jung Heewon’s eyes widened.
“You’re lucky?”

[Advance 6 steps up the stairs.]
[Double Chance! You may roll the die one more time.]

I threw the die again.
[The number on the die is 5.]
[Advance 5 steps up the stairs.]
[You have reached the second floor!]

So, ten steps equal one floor? I hadn’t expected to reach the second floor in a single turn.
And the luck didn’t stop there.
[Entering bonus stage!]
[Each party member receives a 1,000 coin bonus!!]
[An additional die chance has been granted!]

The die appeared once more. I rolled it for a third time.
[The number on the die is 5.]
[Advance 5 steps up the stairs.]
[Entering normal stage!]
[There are no assignments for this stage.]
[An extra die chance will be granted after 3 minutes.]

Was this even possible?
It was an unbelievable streak of luck. I had already rolled the die four consecutive times right after starting.
Jung Heewon asked, surprised.
“Are you suddenly possessed? Are you usually good at these games?”
In terms of luck, I was generally unlucky.
I had never once won a common comment event or a cash event.
“Hmm… I wonder.”

There are no coincidences within the <Star Stream>.
In other words, if an unusual string of luck suddenly came my way, there had to be a probable cause behind it.
For instance…
“Jaewoo-ssi.”
“Yes.”
“Do you possess any passive skills?”
“Ah.”

Jung Jaewoo’s eyes shifted slightly as he scratched his cheek, appearing embarrassed.
“Well… is it alright if I tell you…”
“If it’s a problem, you don’t have to.”
Was he more cautious than I had assumed? Seeing how he practiced Kim Dokja’s maxim, he might have read the entire novel quite seriously.
“Oh, no. I’ll tell you. It’s not a skill… I have a trait called [Little Luck].”

I was startled the moment I heard the trait’s name.
[Little Luck]
It was, quite literally, a trait that maximized minor, everyday fortune.
「 Should I grant even the smallest luck to Kim Dokja? 」
It was a feature I had once deliberated over.
I had wondered what it would be like for Kim Dokja to evolve his characteristics from [Little Luck] to [Compliant Luck] and finally [Extreme Luck].
「 “Author-nim, there are so many protagonists these days who rely on luck to solve everything…” 」
It had been discarded after a single comment from Ji Eunyu…

Yet I never imagined a reader would actually have that trait.
“I don’t know why, but I’ve always been a little bit fortunate.”
Jung Jaewoo began to smile brightly and share stories I hadn’t asked for.
“Whenever I go to buy bread, there’s always one last loaf of the kind I want left. Or, if I guess on a question I don’t know, I usually get it right… It’s nothing major, just small bits of luck that follow me.”
With a modest expression, Jung Jaewoo continued.
“So, even after arriving here, I’ve been lucky enough to survive several times. I also found a bug on the subway…”
He told the story of evading a riot at Cheonggu Station by fleeing above ground, where a brother and sister he met there gave him Elaine Monkey’s Lungs (likely the Killer King siblings).
“I asked them to come with me, but they refused.”
He then went to the basement of Yaksu Station, got his lung bitten, encountered alien species, and luckily escaped with someone’s help (probably the Misreading Association).
“I nearly died that time.”
After fleeing back to the surface, he next met a rhinoceros in Sidog, which someone then killed and left (Could it have been Yoo Joonghyuk?).
“The four slashes were so swift I couldn’t see a thing.”
Anyway, after all that frantic running, he somehow ended up at the Chungmuro ​​Theater without realizing how.
“Seeing so many readers here puts me at ease.”
I stared blankly at Jung Jaewoo.
People like this truly existed.
A genuinely lucky man.
“Hey, but should we be discussing this here?”
Jung Jaewoo, belatedly covering his mouth, glanced nervously at Jung Heewon.
Fortunately, Jung Heewon was scouting the empty second-floor lobby and hadn’t been listening to Jung Jaewoo’s story.
Jung Jaewoo, somewhat relieved, asked another question.
“That person… Is she the Jung Heewon I’m thinking of? Right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Oh my god!”
Jung Heewon, who was some distance away, looked over at us because of his loud exclamation.
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing.”
Jung Jaewoo, unable to calm down easily, breathed heavily. He inquired:
“By any chance, have you met the other members of <Kim Dokja’s Company>? I saw Lee Jihye too. Did you see Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk—”
“Hey, let’s not talk about this now, it might confuse Heewon.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Jung Jaewoo lowered his head, looking chastened, and I felt a bit sorry for him.

[A new die has been created!]

I handed him the die to change the subject.
“Would you like to throw it this time, Jaewoo-ssi?”
«Um, is that really okay?”
“Yes.”
Jung Jaewoo nodded, smiling.
“Alright, I’ll throw it!”
Jung Jaewoo shouted with vigor and rolled the die.
[The number on the die is 5.]
[Advance to the third floor.]
I had been hoping for a 6, but a 5 was still good.
With this, our total steps amounted to 21. Were we going to reach the third floor in one go?
Perhaps meeting Jung Jaewoo here was my own piece of luck.

[You have fallen into a ‘trap stage’!]
[Descend 3 steps down the stairs.]

Huh?

[Entering normal stage.]

Did [Little Luck] fail this time?
“Get ready.”
[You can clear this stage by watching the movie’s conclusion.]
[The difficulty of this stage is high. A ‘ladder’ is provided upon clearing.]
[This stage is shared with the first runners.]

In an instant, a verdant landscape unfolded around us.
I had a feeling I recognized this place.
Judging by their reactions, Jung Heewon and Jung Jaewoo also seemed to grasp the general situation.
The roars of enormous monsters echoed from every direction.
It seemed to be the very movie that Kim Dokja’s party had cleared in “ORV.”
Jung Jaewoo murmured in awe.
“Oh my god. Hey, is this that movie? The one with the Tyranno—”
“It appears so.”
If this was indeed that film, the difficulty was high, but we could obtain some very useful items.
For example, the enhanced ampoule hidden within the central laboratory.
There was just one thing that concerned me.
[Share the stage with the starters.]
The system message had clearly stated that. It meant a “starter” had entered this stage before us.
Who was it?
Could it be Yoo Joonghyuk?