Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Novel MTL - Chapter 653

Chapter 653

Of course. Here is the paraphrased chapter:

At long last, I had obtained a new attribute.

[A legendary attribute has been acquired!]

Not just any attribute, but a legendary one.

I silently called for my attribute window, and almost at once.

[The attribute window cannot be activated due to a current system error.]

It was a blunt reminder that my access to the system, much like Kim Dokja’s, was severely restricted.

[Acquired the attribute ‘Record Repairer’!]

Thankfully, the name of this new attribute was immediately clear.

‘Record Repairer’.

It was a title I had never encountered in the past.

[The attribute ‘Record Repairer’ is now active!]

[‘Record Repairer’ is being influenced by the losses you have sustained’.]

[The ‘Record Repairer’ has started to restore your missing records.]

Restore my missing records?

[Estimated time until record repair is complete: 1 hour and 30 minutes.]

I wasn’t sure what it meant, but in an hour and a half, something would undoubtedly be different.

[Someone has taken notice that a new Record Repairer has been born.]

[The ‘Recorders of Fear’ have become aware of your existence.]

Then, a far more ominous message appeared.

To my knowledge, the ‘Recorders of Fear’ were scribes who had documented the divinity of the other world. That was their collective name.

But they had noticed me? Could it be that these Recorders of Fear could observe incarnations, just as the constellations do?

[Some among the ‘Recorders of Fear’ perceive your existence as a threat.]

A threat? I had no idea.

The information I had to work with was far too limited.

All I knew for certain was that the people from Geumho Station, who had died in the third round, were alive and well here.

«Inho-ssi! You’re alive!»

«Keuheuk! Brother!»

Shin Yoosung, the gold in her eyes now faded, looked at me and asked.
«Are these people acquaintances of yours?»

I gave a slight nod.

Though, Bang Cheolsoo had been clinging to me for an uncomfortably long time. I gave the back of the weeping man’s head, still buried in my arm, a light tap.

[The constellation ‘Lord of Mischief’ has sponsored 100 coins.]

He was still watching.

Perhaps a lot had happened while I was gone. Bang Cheolsoo held onto me and began recounting everything that had occurred.

«So the tunnel just collapsed out of nowhere, and you couldn’t get to Chungmuro, brother. Ugh, I really thought I was going to die that time—»

He spoke of tunnel collapses and sudden scenario changes. Even listening to a fraction of it sounded harrowing. Surviving this round, with all its variables, was simply a matter of luck.

I half-listened to Bang Cheolsoo’s story while observing the other survivors from Geumho Station watching us from a distance. My eyes first found the mother and daughter known as the Moojung pair.

Dayoung’s mother. In the third round, she had fought desperately to save her daughter, only to end up as sustenance for Paradise.

«What’s your overall skill level?»
«None of your business.»
«You look weaker than me.»

Dayoung and Shin Yoosung were comparing their abilities.

I turned my attention back to Bang Cheolsoo, who was still talking.
«Brother, that’s why I sent them to—»

[The constellation ‘Lord of Mischief’ wishes for you to spend more time with his incarnation.]

I glanced at the flag attached to his waist.
«Bang Cheolsoo.»
«Yes?»
«You’ve become a king.»
«Ah.»

Bang Cheolsoo’s mouth fell open slightly before he scratched the back of his head and gave an embarrassed laugh.
«Here, you can have the flag if you want. I was keeping it for you anyway.»

I looked down at the flag he held out. Its color was a lighter shade than mine, but it was unmistakably a purple flag.

With that flag, I could achieve ‘Black Flag’ immediately, complete the ‘King’s Road’ scenario, and formally receive the ‘King’ trait. Of course, that was the simple path.

But.
«It’s yours.»

I found I didn’t want it.

[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ questions why you are refusing.]

[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ nods in approval of your decision.]

[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ admires your loyalty.]

[500 coins have been sponsored.]

I wasn’t entirely sure why, but I had no desire to take that flag. It might have been because of the way Dayoung and her mother, and the others, were looking at Bang Cheolsoo from a distance.

I didn’t know.
Perhaps it was a selfish wish from my perspective as a writer. A desire to see Bang Cheolsoo’s story, and the story of these people, continue a little longer.

«Bro.»

Bang Cheolsoo’s eyes widened.

[The constellation ‘Lord of Mischief’ is deeply moved by your integrity.]

[300 coins have been sponsored.]

I quickly waved a hand to cut the serious atmosphere short.
«Never mind that. I want to hear about the dungeon.»

Thirty minutes later, I was standing at the dungeon entrance.

Do you wish to enter the [Labyrinth]?

Everything was different from the main story’s dungeon, starting with the notification.

«If we go in, there will be star jewels inside, correct?»

Bang Cheolsoo nodded at my question.
«Yes, definitely. I saw people who had collected them.»
«They must be the 7 Kings of Seoul.»
«Oh, how did you know?»

It was obvious. Even in the main story, only the 7 Kings of Seoul had managed to obtain the ‘star jewels’ from this place.

«No matter how strong you are, brother, you should avoid the 7 Kings if you see them. They aren’t normal at all.»
«I expect not. They are kings, after all.»

This was the 41st turn, not the 3rd. It was impossible to know how powerful the 7 Kings would have become. Still, I couldn’t turn back now.

Whether it was the 7 Kings or the Misreading Association, if collecting ‘star jewels’ was the goal, I had to proceed. The star jewel was an essential component for summoning the ‘Sword of Death’.

«Brother, can’t you wait? In three hours, we can all go in together.»
«Three hours is too long. I’ll see you later.»

Apparently, this dungeon enforced a waiting period after exiting. While it would be safer to wait for the Geumho Station group, now was not the time for that. According to my reasoning, the readers and Old Man Dansu were definitely inside that dungeon.

«I’m ready, ahjussi.»

And fortunately, I wouldn’t be going in alone.
«Are you sure about this?»
«Yes. I’ll go as well.»

Shin Yoosung said this and then glanced back at Dayoung, who was standing about ten steps away. Dayoung saw me looking and made a threatening slashing motion with her hand.

«Dayoung, you mustn’t do that.»

When her mother spoke in a chiding tone, Dayoung just pouted. Shin Yoosung watched her and continued.
«I need to get stronger, so I won’t be scared anymore, even by frightening adults.»

Perhaps seeing a girl her own age had provoked her. There was a firm resolve in Shin Yoosung’s voice, a determination that somehow made me feel a little sad.

«There are ways to meet good adults, too.»
«Good adults die quickly.»

As I listened to those words, which gave me a strange sense of déjà vu, a deep headache pulsed within my skull.
I advised her, lightly rubbing my temples.
«If it seems dangerous, we retreat immediately. Understood?»
«Yes!»

It pained me, but Shin Yoosung’s help was essential for clearing the final chapter of this scenario. Was this how Kim Dokja always felt when he was with her?

«Please be careful, brother!»

Leaving the group from Geumho Station bowing in unison behind us, I stepped into the labyrinth with Shin Yoosung.

[You have entered the ‘Star Labyrinth’.]

Beyond the door was a dark, dungeon-like hallway. Fortunately, there seemed to be no ‘new hunters’ lying in wait. I remained vigilant, scanning our surroundings, when a series of system messages flooded in.

[A new sub-scenario has arrived!]

<Sub Scenario – Star Labyrinth>
Category: Sub
Difficulty: A++
Clear Condition: Explore the Star Labyrinth and acquire the hidden ‘Star Jewel’
Time limit: —
Reward: 3,000 Coins
Failure: There is no failure penalty for this scenario.
* Special rules apply to this scenario.

A star labyrinth. I checked the ‘Special Rules’ that followed.

1. A Labyrinth Keeper is present within the Labyrinth.

A Keeper? Were there minotaurs here too?

2. The labyrinth relocates every 3 hours. During relocation, the entire labyrinth is engulfed in flames and its internal structure changes.
3. You can avoid the flames by entering a nearby ‘Safe Area’ during ‘relocation’. Entering a ‘Safe Area’ also allows you to choose to escape the labyrinth.

A timer materialized before my eyes.

[1 hour and 54 minutes remaining until relocation.]
[Locate a ‘Safe Area’.]

This was troublesome, though the pattern wasn’t complex. Survival meant finding a ‘safe area’ before the time limit. The real question was, how many more rules were there?

4. A ‘Dust Man’ is provided to every incarnation entering the Labyrinth.

A small lump of dust materialized in the air above my head. The lump, with its tiny eyes, looked around, then opened its little mouth and made a sound.

—Byeolbyeol

It began circling above me, devouring the shimmering particles of gold dust scattered on the floor.

[Your ‘Dust Man’ has acquired 1 Star Powder.]

I was starting to understand the rules of this dungeon.

«Wow, ahjussi! Look at this!»

Shin Yoosung now had her own small dust man beside her. The creature circled us with a ‘byeolbyeol’ sound, greedily opening its mouth whenever it spotted glittering gold dust on the ground.

[Your ‘Dust Man’ has acquired 1 star dust!]

Watching this, Shin Yoosung spoke up.
«I think I get it.»

5. A ‘Dust Man’ will create a star jewel upon acquiring a certain quantity of ‘star dust’.

The rules appeared as if they had been waiting for her remark. As expected, the goal here was to raise the ‘Dust Man’ and obtain Star Jewels.

6. ‘Dust Men’ within the same group can be combined via [Fusion].

Shin Yoosung asked.
«Should we combine them?»
«Good idea.»

We were in the same party. There was no sense in raising multiple Dust Men inefficiently. When I selected [Fusion], my dust man opened its mouth wide and swallowed Shin Yoosung’s whole.

[Incarnation Shin Yoosung’s ‘Dust Man’ has been absorbed.]
[The Seoul Station Group’s ‘Dust Man’ is growing.]

The combined Dust Man now collected star dust at a noticeably faster rate.

«It’s moving constantly.»

We continued our exploration of the labyrinth, carefully maintaining our guard.

Gruesome evidence of battle was strewn at every corner. Corpses were locked together, stabbed and slashed, their final struggles staining the ground. Near the bodies, the star dust they had collected in life lay scattered.

[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ says things are about to get interesting.]
[A few constellations are anticipating your performance.]

We gathered the star dust in silence, as if collecting their remains. Why did these people have to come to this place to die? Most probably didn’t even know what the ‘Sword of Death’ was.

[A handful of constellations are rendered speechless.]

No, perhaps I did know why they died. They died to become a story.

«As expected, good adults die quickly.»

I looked over to see Shin Yoosung staring down at the face of a dead woman. I stopped beside her and looked down as well. It was an unfamiliar face. I didn’t know who she was, and I likely never would. But Shin Yoosung seemed to recognize her.

«Do you know her?»
«She’s the one who stopped me when I tried to go into a single-person dungeon.»

I placed a hand on Shin Yoosung’s shoulder as she stood there blankly.
«Shin Yoosung.»
«Yes.»
«Are you alright?»

After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. Her expression was unreadable, but for a moment, her eyes seemed profoundly deep.

«People died all the time, even before the scenarios.»
«That’s true.»
«It just didn’t happen right in front of me then.»

I was slightly surprised by her words. Shin Yoosung quickly shook her head.
«Sorry. That was a cheeky thing to say. Sometimes strange things just come out of my mouth.»
«Not at all. I agree. Death was always there. It just wasn’t so… explicit.»

People died even before the scenarios began. Humans killed other humans. They killed each other and then narrated each other’s deaths. It was a world that accepted such tales.

«Are you alright?»
«I’m fine.»

In a world where all gods could exist as ‘constellations’, perhaps there was nothing strange about killing. Yet, in such a world, I found myself wanting to believe in nothing.

«Do people have souls?»
«They do.»

My immediate answer made Shin Yoosung’s eyes widen.
«Then where did Younghoon go when she died?»
«She would have gone to the underworld.»
«Are there scenarios there too?»
«Perhaps.»
«Then even if I die, it won’t be much different from here.»
«In a sense, yes.»

Shin Yoosung looked up at me.
«Even so, ahjussi, please don’t die.»

I nodded.
«You too, Shin Yoosung.»

We stood in silence, offering a quiet prayer for the woman’s peace. The ashes on the floor looked like the scattered pieces of her soul.

[The Dust Man’s ‘star dust’ has exceeded 100!]
[While in the Star Labyrinth, your stamina has increased by 1.]

Even as we mourned, we grew stronger by the simple fact of having survived.

We encountered other incarnations several times, but the sight of my ‘Blade of Faith’ was enough to make them flee in fear. It was a day where I felt no desire to kill anyone, and for that, I was quietly grateful.

[Total star dust obtained: 302]

Shin Yoosung looked at the count, which had already passed 300.
«Ahjussi, at this rate—»
«Don’t say it will be easy.»
«Yes?»

Just then, our Dust Man, which had been floating ahead, stopped.
—Star?

[There is almost no ‘star dust’ remaining in the ‘Star Labyrinth’.]

Damn. So that was it. There was no way a ‘scenario I knew’ would be so straightforward.

[Hunt other incarnations to obtain ‘star dust’.]

In the end, this labyrinth was a stage designed to force incarnations to fight. How many would I need to hunt to gather seven star jewels? I didn’t want to think about it.

It was then that the final rules came to mind.

7. Incarnations that acquire ‘Star Jewels’ will receive a dramatic increase to all stats.
8. For every ‘Star Jewel’ acquired, the ‘Madness’ level increases.

…Madness?

—Star!

Abruptly, the Dust Man above my head began shaking violently. The reason became clear instantly.

[An incarnation carrying a star jewel is nearby.]
«Ahjussi.»

I nodded. A faint vibration was coming through the floor. Something was approaching.

«One of the ‘Seven Kings of Seoul’ is here.»