Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Novel MTL - Chapter 652

Chapter 652

I stared at the single door that had formed at the end of the waiting room.

There should have been seven doors, not one.

Is this how it was meant to be in the original 41st round of Ways of Survival, or has it been altered because I and the readers interfered?

If this were the original plot, the ‘Ways of Survival’ skill should have activated by now. But it remained silent.

That could only mean the readers have intervened and shifted the scenario.

「 Someone has intentionally altered the story. 」

But would any of the readers I know recklessly interfere like this?

Dansu ahjussi, Kyung Sein, Ye Hyunwoo, Killer King, Literature Girl, Koo Seonah, Kim Kyungsik.

I calmly ran through the list, but I couldn’t imagine any of them causing such a catastrophic change to the scenario.

What gives readers an advantage over characters is ‘information’; they wouldn’t actively try to change the future too much, since they rely on the original story’s progression.

So, the readers aren’t responsible.

Then who changed the scenario and triggered this ‘collapse of the museum,’ an event that never happened in the original?

I formed a hypothesis.

「 What if there are people in this world who don’t want the scenario to follow its intended path? 」

What if some would be at a disadvantage if events unfolded exactly as written in ‘Omniscient Reader’?

As this idea took shape, the identity of the culprit started to become clearer.

But I still couldn’t be certain.

«Ahjussi.»

Shin Yoosoung called out to me, her voice trembling.

The floor of the waiting room was so littered with corpses there was hardly a place to step. A fierce battle had clearly already occurred here.

I put an arm around Shin Yoosoung’s shoulders and moved forward carefully, scanning the faces around us. I was terrified I might see someone I recognized.

Dansu ahjussi.
Kim Kyungsik and Koo Seonah.
And my editor, possessing someone whose face I didn’t know.

A sudden chill ran down my spine.

I instinctively dropped into a crouch, pulling Shin Yoosoung down with me. Three daggers whistled past where my neck had been, embedding themselves in the far wall.

When I focused, I could see assassins rising from amongst the bodies.

«Jet, you missed.»

They were new hunters. Instead of entering the dungeon, they had hidden here to ambush and kill new recruits.

There were people like this in ‘Omniscient Reader’ as well.

I pushed Shin Yoosoung behind me and activated the story of the Beggar Sect.

[The ‘tenacious Murim master, Seolhwa,’ is stuttering.]

The spirit of the Murim master surged, and my senses picked up the number of enemies concealed within the carnage.

Over twenty. A small squad.

«Hmm? That kid…»

I heard some of them whispering, as if they recognized Shin Yoosoung.

«Are they people you know?» I asked her quietly.

«Yes.» A slight tremble traveled through the hand clutching my sleeve.

«They look like people you’d rather not know,» I pressed.

«…Yes,» she answered after a moment.

I switched my grip from ‘Thought’ to ‘Broken Faith,’ ready for a fight.

The assassins were quickly conferring.

«Did she really get through all those fights alone?»
«I told you. Kids these days are vicious.»

Right. These were the adults from the ‘Union’ who had tried to force Shin Yoosoung into their group.

One of the assassins, who had been scrutinizing us, stepped forward, dagger in hand.

«You. Are you with a group?»

«I am.» Claiming to be alone here would only invite their contempt.

Even so, my answer didn’t seem to faze them.

«You came here alone, with a group waiting?»
«I’m confident in my abilities.»

It was a provocation, but several assassins nodded, surprisingly impressed.

«If he made it here with a kid, he probably cleared a single-person dungeon.»
«Those are more difficult.»
«He’d be a valuable ally.»

The Assassin Leader, after gathering their consensus, nodded. «We respect talent. Leave your group and join ours.»

Shin Yoosoung’s words came back to me. If the ‘Union’ values skill above all else, then this…

«We’ll take both you and the girl. You seem to have developed a… special bond.»

His tone was condescending. I narrowed my eyes.

[The exclusive skill ‘Character List’ is activated!]

First, confirm they aren’t ‘readers’.

<Character Summary>

Name: Perjury
Age: 35
Constellation support: Legendary Assassin
Exclusive Attribute: Assassin (Normal)
Exclusive Skills: [Ambush Lv.3], [Gidobinic Lv.3], [Weapon Improvement Lv.2]
Stigma: [Scheduled Special Lv.1], [Silver Bullet Lv.2], [Shadow Stealth Lv.2]
Overall stats: [Health Lv. 20], [Strength Lv.25], [Agility Lv.25], [Magic Power Lv.21]
Comprehensive evaluation: An incarnation of the union. He is active as one of the 7 kings of Seoul.

An extra from ‘Ways of Survival’. His supporting Constellation…

…Legendary Assassin.

A constellation I’d never encountered in ‘Omniscient Reader’.

[Exclusive skill ‘Three ways to survive in a ruined world’ is activated!]

Fortunately, the skill activated in time.

「 Legendary Assassin. The modifier sounds grand, but among constellations, there’s no one who isn’t a legend. In short, it’s just an ordinary great-grade constellation. 」

Right.

「 A common sponsor for assassins. Like the ‘Lord of Mischief’, they randomly select incarnations for their background and groom them as assassins. They often lease their trained incarnations to other constellations as mercenaries. 」

Now I knew who his backer was.

I’d been considering holding back if he had a Myth-grade constellation behind him, but against this level, I could afford to be aggressive.

«I apologize, but I have no interest in joining your group.»
«Even though we’re part of ‘Seoul Gwang’? You’ve heard of the Union, surely?»
The Union.

Was this the group Ye Hyunwoo had mentioned?

I nodded and asked, «This is where the Tyrant King is, correct?»

The man frowned slightly at the name. «We serve the ‘Assassin King’.»

Assassin King?

That name wasn’t among the 7 kings of Seoul I knew.

«You don’t seem to grasp what a significant opportunity this is. We will soon retrieve the ‘Sword of Death’ and claim the ‘Absolute Throne’. I don’t know which group you’re with, but no other force at this point is stronger than ours. You should choose wisely.»

My reply was a dry nod. «I hear you. But my answer remains no. I have no wish to fight; please just let us pass.»

I was half-sincere. I was still fatigued from the ‘Field of Nagak’, and even for me, taking on twenty assassins without a scratch wouldn’t be easy. And above all,

「 I wanted to avoid killing people if I could. 」

Even with [Incite], there’s a limit. Killing is never a pleasant experience, no matter the reason.

I was beginning to understand why the Kim Dokja from the beginning of Omniscient Reader chose to become the ‘King of No Killing’.

Of course, the assassin, who knew nothing of Kim Dokja, wasn’t going to listen.

«Then die here.»

I smiled, my eyes widening. «No room for compromise? Aren’t we all members of society?»
«Society perished long ago.» I don’t know who leads this alliance, but why do all its members act like Kim Namwoon?
«I’m still a member of society.»
«Then die as one.»

So be it.

I ran a quick calculation. Use [Incite]? Or take out their leader first with the ‘Blade of Faith’?

I was devising a strategy to eliminate them all at once without endangering Shin Yoosoung when she tugged my sleeve.

«Ahjussi.»

I looked back. Shin Yoosoung’s eyes were shimmering with a golden light. A wave of dizziness passed through me. This felt familiar.

«I’ll finish it.» Why? In that moment, she seemed like a completely different person.
«Finish it… how?»
«So…»

A roar erupted from within the waiting room, cutting her off.

«Get out of the way!»

Suddenly, the door burst open and a crowd poured out.

«What…»

With a sickening crunch, an assassin’s head shattered. The others screamed in shock.

«What is it?!»

The assassins scrambled, raising their swords.

But with each whistle of wind, their numbers dwindled. The terrified assassins pressed against the walls, shouting, «Who?! Who dares—»

A group emerged from the swirling dust. At their head was a giant.

He held an iron pipe that gleamed with a dazzling light—clearly an S-class item.

«King of Gangsters!»

King of Gangsters? No matter how I searched my memory, there was no king by that name.

「 A person who did not appear in Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. 」

I watched the situation unfold nervously. A wind was blowing from the group’s right flank.

Four kitchen knives moving in a zigzag pattern sliced through the air.

«Ah! Heartless Mother!»

Heartless Mother. Another nickname I’d never heard. A dazzling display of blade work performed by a mother and daughter, each wielding a pair of kitchen knives. It was terrifying to watch from a distance.

But… what?

Their faces were familiar.

“The Inhopa group! Inhopa is back!»

Inhopa?

«Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—»

A few panicked assassins tried to flee into the dungeon, but their lives were cut short.

Now, fewer than five assassins remained.

The one who had threatened me earlier snarled, «King of Gangsters! We are the Union. Do you think you’ll be safe after this?»
«If you all die, who will know what I did?»
«Ugh, there were witnesses! They saw us!»

The King of Gangsters and his party scanned the edges of the waiting room. A few incarnations who had been watching the spectacle were huddled there.

«Are you going to talk?» the King of Gangsters asked, his voice bleak.

The incarnations all shook their heads vigorously. «We saw nothing.»
«Yes, you bastards—»

Before the bewildered assassin could finish his shout, an iron pipe crushed his skull.

Watching the body slump to the floor, the King of Gangsters spat. «Tch. Wicked bastards.»
«Looks like they were preying on newcomers again.»
«That’s all these Union scum ever do.»

I was genuinely surprised. I’d heard the ‘Union’ was currently the most powerful force.

But was there really a rebel group fighting the Union with just a single squad?

I saw the King of Gangsters spot us and start walking over.

«Boss, are you okay?»

His face was smeared with blood, making it hard to recognize immediately, but his long, rough hair, swept back, was unmistakable.

Seeing him up close, I let out a short laugh.

Of course. So it was Inhopa.

«Huh?»

The King of Gangsters, now standing before us, stared at me wide-eyed. My earlier assumption was wrong. This wasn’t someone absent from ‘Omniscient Reader’.

He was someone I already knew.

A person who changed the scenario but was neither a reader nor a member of the Misreading Association.

In ‘Omniscient Reader’, he was just an extra, a minor villain—a petty gangster who died a tragic death, let alone a king.

«It’s you, bro?»

I nodded in reply.

«Bang Cheolsoo.»

The action leader of Geumho Station.

[The constellation ‘Lord of Mischief’ welcomes you.]

People who knew me came running. The incarnations from Geumho Station, including Dayoung and her mother.

People who had once fought each other for survival now banded together to protect the weak.

Once again, I was reminded that this story was not the ‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’ I knew.

[A new loss is recorded on the ‘last wall’.]

Shin Yoosoung stood beside me, gazing at the scene with blank eyes.

«Brother! Waaaaah! You’re alive!»
«Inho ahjussi!»

Watching Dayoung and her mother wave, and everyone calling out to me, I thought about stories.

«Do you know how long we’ve been searching for you!»

I no longer believe, as my parents did, that stories alone can maintain peace.

No matter how many beautiful stories exist, people will still wage war and harbor hatred.

But even so, I continue to believe.

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ nods.]
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ mutters that this kind of story isn’t so bad.]
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ agrees, his lips twitching.]

Because at least someone, upon reading a story, can change.

[The losses you have recorded will bear fruit.]
[You have acquired a new attribute!]