Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Novel MTL - Chapter 656

Chapter 656

Of course. Here is the paraphrased chapter:

656 Episode 19 People of the Past (8)
「 The soundless blade moved, invisible to any eye. 」

The intensely compressed flow of time gradually returned to normal, and a small spark flew from the sword gripped in my right hand.

[A constellation that has not yet revealed their modifier is observing you.]

The screams of the incarnations and the clashing of weapons had faded away.
Every sign of life that had been charging toward me had vanished.

[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ opens his mouth.]
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ remarks that the incarnation Cheon Inho has been concealing his true strength, his eyes shining with excitement.]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ senses a profound sorrow within your sword.]

Amid the successive thuds of objects hitting the floor, no one remained standing at my eye level.
I was entirely alone.
Probably the way Yoo Jonghyuk always was.

[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ is astonished by your martial prowess.]
[The constellation ‘Goryeo’s First Sword’…]
[A handful of constellations have sponsored 1,000 coins for your action.]

An overwhelming sensation of limitless power and supremacy dwelling within my body.
This was Yoo Jonghyuk.

For a brief moment, I felt a gaze upon me from the distant sky.
[A constellation shrouded in a veil slows their movement.]
That unfamiliar hostility made me glance up sharply, but the presence was already gone.

A prickling wave of exhaustion washed over me.
I had already experienced the aftereffects of [Incite] through [Sentence Reinforcement].
If I lingered in this state any longer, [Incite] would consume me just as it had before.

Tsutsutsutsut.
[‘Incite’ has been canceled.]

A terrible recoil shot through my body. Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth.
It was an agonizing ordeal. This was merely the weight of the very early Yoo Jonghyuk, borrowed for a single moment.
Even so, was it always this severe?
Even after the skill ended, a remnant sensation of Yoo Jonghyuk lingered in my mind.
It was no joking matter.

I wiped my lips with the back of my hand and looked down at the ground.
«Ugh. Aaaaaaaa!»
A scream finally rang out, a beat too late.
Gu Taesung was fortunate. His severed legs lay on the floor. As he tried to stem the bleeding, he stared up at me with eyes burning red.
The emotion in his gaze swiftly transformed into pure terror.
Forgetting his pain, Gu Taesung began to beg servilely.
«Spare me! Please, spare me!»

I walked toward him.
The sight of his terrified face reminded me of Dansu ahjussi’s empty, broken expression. Dansu ahjussi, who had lost his mind.
Gu Taesung was covered in wounds, but the man who had lost his sanity was the one searching for his daughter.
«It’s all because of Dansu ahjussi.»
They were the ones who had reduced Dansu ahjussi to that state. They had destroyed the life of an innocent man who only wanted to find his daughter in this world.
「 They deserve death. 」
The lingering presence of Yoo Jonghyuk within me whispered.

«Are you… are you a reader?»
Gu Taesung suddenly lifted his head and clutched at my trousers.
«Save me. Please, I beg you, save me! We’re from the same world.»
Seeing his trembling, upturned face, I finally understood who this man truly was.
This man was not ‘old-fashioned’.
«I’ve read ‘The Book of Revelation’ too. I was a huge fan.»
«…»
«It’s all a mistake… a misunderstanding! I’m not like the others! I didn’t pirate all of it, I paid for most of it!»
Like a condemned man making his final confession, he continued to babble.
«I just want to live. I want to live. Please. I want to go back home. I never wanted to come to a place like this.»
Tears streamed down his face as he broke down.
«Ugh, I miss my mom and dad. Damn it. I never wanted any of this. I was just… just trying to survive…»

How old was this man?
Where had he lived? What had he done?
I didn’t know. Then and now, he was a complete stranger to me.
「 Perhaps this is your final opportunity to kill him. 」

The moment I resolved myself and readjusted my grip on ‘Broken Faith’, a voice spoke beside me.
«I’ll do it.»
Shin Yoosoung moved past me.
«I need the practice too.»
Practice.
«To survive.»
Her voice was low. I couldn’t see her expression, but I understood why.
Shin Yoosoung’s eyes would be glowing gold now.
«You don’t want to do this, ahjussi.»

Her small frame seemed to carry the weight of years she hadn’t lived. She was just a child of ten.
I placed a hand on Shin Yoosoung’s shoulder.
«I’ll handle it.»

Meanwhile, Gu Taesung scrambled backward, dragging himself toward the edge of the area. But he had nowhere left to run.
[‘Relocate’ will begin in 1 minute.]
If he left this ‘safe area’, the flames would consume him.
Realizing his predicament, Gu Taesung began to plead again.
«Please, help me. I never wanted this either. They promised if I played my part, they’d send me home.»
«What are you talking about?»

The person possessing Gu Taesung was a member of the ‘Misreading association’.
But I didn’t know how the ‘Misreading association’ had entered this world.
They weren’t readers who had purchased the entire book, nor were they participants in ‘Kim Dokja’s Banquet’.
So how had they taken possession of this world?

Gu Taesung gulped as the sharp edge of my blade pressed against his throat.
«Who brought you here?»
«Th-that is…»
He opened his mouth again, as if steeling his resolve.
«Kim Dok—»

Tsutsutsutsutsutsutsu!
Abruptly, his entire body convulsed like an electrocuted fish. His lips burst into flame.
Something was controlling his ability to speak.
[‘Relocate’ will begin in 30 seconds.]

Twisting in agony, Gu Taesung managed to part his scorched lips.
«I’m sorry. I can’t say. I’ll do anything else. Anything—»

I looked down at him, and the remnant of Yoo Jonghyuk in my mind fell silent. Perhaps because my own resolve wavered, what surfaced instead was the memory of Dansu ahjussi.
「 «No matter what happens in a novel, I don’t want to kill anyone.» 」
Since the scenarios began, ahjussi hadn’t killed a single person. Even now, robbed of his reason and turned into a monster, he kept repeating, «I won’t kill you.»
Without a doubt, the fragment of Kim Dokja inside him was the most pure and virtuous piece.
「 «Because it was my daughter’s favorite novel.» 」

I slowly lowered the raised sword.
[After 20 seconds, ‘Rearrangement’ will begin.]
Gu Taesung’s face lit up with relief.
«Thank you! Thank you!» He wept with gratitude and reached into his chest. «I-I don’t have much, but take this—»

Just as I was about to refuse, my body went rigid.
Something was approaching at incredible speed.
Shin Yoosoung caught me, sensing the danger, and I shielded her in response.
A wave of magical energy shot toward us with a piercing shriek.
I instinctively raised ‘Broken Faith’.
[Broken Faith’s durability has been exhausted.]
In that instant, I understood.
「 This attack isn’t meant for us. 」
The magic wave swept past me and Shin Yoosoung, and struck Gu Taesung’s neck.
It was over before anyone could intervene.
The spell, which had breached the safe area in a flash, left a green circle smoldering on Gu Taesung’s neck.

«You were still hesitating.» A familiar voice stated.
A man in a black coat stood there.
He had a surprisingly handsome face for an extra.
His speech was a poor imitation of Yoo Jonghyuk’s.
‘The king of kings doesn’t act like that. Why hesitate to eliminate the wicked?’
I saw the woman beside him, who nodded at me apologetically.
I recalled my last conversation with her.
A calm turmoil stirred in my heart.

[Safe area is activated]
[Entrance capacity: 4/4]
[‘Relocation’ begins.]

The apostle siblings.
The 2nd Apostle Killer King and Literature Girl 64 had joined the War of the Absolute Throne.

The relocation lasted about a minute. As the inferno raged, consuming everything in the ‘safe zone’, the maze shifted and the passageways reconfigured.
Once it was over, Killer King immediately noticed Gu Taesung’s body lying nearby.
«See. This one had other plans.»
In Killer King’s hand was a ‘poison bomb’.
I remembered the expression on Gu Taesung’s face as he’d reached into his clothes for the last time.
Was that really what he had been trying to retrieve?
Killer King added, as if reading my thoughts.
«Don’t feel guilty. Think of it as a stranger dying on the other side of the world. You don’t mourn them.»
He was indeed a stranger. I knew nothing of his name, his face, or his home.
«They used their anonymity to commit crimes. There’s no need for sympathy.»
Was it really that simple?
What would Dansu ahjussi say?
I tried to find the words several times, but nothing came.
Perhaps it was because I didn’t possess a fragment of the real Kim Dokja.

«Have you been busy in the meantime?»
I decided to talk about people I knew instead of strangers.
«Hmm.»
Killer King, who had been collecting items from Gu Taesung’s pockets, stood up.
A flag was tied around his forearm like an armband.
A black flag.
As expected, Killer King had completed all the ‘King’s Way’ scenarios.
It was only natural.
He was the second apostle, having read ‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’ over a hundred times, and his sponsor was the archangel Jophiel.
«It was eventful.»
Noticing my flag, Killer King then turned his gaze to Shin Yoosoung.
«Looks like you’ve had your share of excitement as well.»

We briefly exchanged stories of what had transpired.
Events after clearing the theater dungeon and scattering in Chungmuro.
Killer King’s route contained areas and hidden pieces I knew nothing about.
I summarized my own experiences.
Traveling to Seoul Station, meeting the Beggar Sect, coming to Gwanghwamun, and entering the dungeon.
When I finally mentioned Dansu ahjussi, Killer King let out a short sigh.
«Dansu, the old man searching for his daughter.»
«Correct.»
“Troubling. The scenario has diverged significantly from the original.»
«…»
«To obtain the death sword, seven star jewels are needed. But if he already has five…»
Hearing him lay it out like that, I wondered if I had made a mistake.
It reminded me of how Killer King had killed Gu Taesung without a second thought.
«For the record, if you’re considering attacking Dansu ahjussi—»
«Why would you assume that?»
Killer King frowned, slightly offended.
«The Seven Apostles’ only enemies are the Misreading association. I won’t attack anyone else.»
Given how many he’d likely already killed, there was no point in challenging him on it now.
«Regardless, at this rate, it’s highly probable he will collect all seven star jewels.»
I thought so too.
Even now, the Misreading association members scattered throughout the maze were trying to feed the remaining star jewels to him.
They would be searching for their chance.
«They plan to use the man as a sacrifice to summon the death sword and steal the item for themselves.»
«We must find ahjussi before they do.»

[2 hours and 58 minutes left until the relocation.]
There was still time before the next relocation.
The problem was the entire ‘labyrinth’ had reset, making it impossible to know Dansu ahjussi’s location.
«I need a guide. Do you possess any relevant skills or attributes?»
However, neither Killer King nor Literature Girl 64 had the necessary skills or traits.
Nearby, Literature Girl 64 and Shin Yoosoung were cautiously observing each other.
Killer King clicked his tongue.
«The party composition is less than ideal. At a time like this, Yoo Sangah or Lee Gilyoung should be here.»
He was right.
In <Kim Dokja’s Company>, two incarnations could find a path through any maze.
But now, neither Yoo Sangah nor Lee Gilyoung were present.
Dansu ahjussi, who could have filled Lee Gilyoung’s role, was now a monster wandering the labyrinth.
We needed a solution.
A way to locate Dansu ahjussi before the Misreading association.

I pondered the problem.
«What would Kim Dokja do?»

It was then that a message echoed in my head.
[All repairs from Record Repairer have concluded.]
Finally, the ‘record repairer’ had finished its work.
I didn’t hold high expectations.
The person I was possessing was Cheon Inho, and correcting his records wasn’t likely to bring major change.
However.
[‘Record Repairer’ repairs skills that were inactive.]
An unexpected message arrived.
[Exclusive skill ‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’ has been activated.]