Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Novel MTL - Chapter 665

Chapter 665

665 Episode 21 Kim Dokja (1)
「 «Why must you be so severe with Anna, Jonghyuk-ssi?» 」

Lee Seolhwa posed the question almost absently. It was not something she would typically ask. She was well aware of the depth of Yoo Jonghyuk’s animosity toward Anna Croft.

Yet, she felt compelled to ask today.

Perhaps it was because the final battle of the ‘Holy Demon War’ was scheduled for tomorrow.

After tomorrow, Yoo Jonghyuk could find himself alone once more.

«Could you not try to get along with Anna?»

«She is a traitor.»

«That was in a previous life.”

«She has inherited the memories from those past cycles.»

«Did she not merely receive the memories? The Anna of this world did not live through those events herself.»

The ‘Anna Croft’ of this turn was not the same as the ‘Anna Croft’ from the last.

She had only perused the memories of prior cycles as one might read a book.

Did this Anna Croft truly deserve the full weight of Yoo Jonghyuk’s wrath?

«She experienced the final round.»

Lee Seolhwa fell silent for a brief moment.

Normally, the discussion would have ended there. No matter what anyone said, Yoo Jonghyuk was a being defined by ‘regression’.

«Was it truly you in that last round? This Yoo Jonghyuk is not identical to the ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’ of the previous cycle. The ‘Lee Seolhwa’ from before is also different, just as the narrative of this world is distinct.»

Every individual is shaped by the world that surrounds them.

Whether it was the 1,600th or the 1,700th cycle, he was always ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’, yet the essence of that name transformed with each iteration.

She was taken aback.

This implied that the person in cycle 1,600 and the person in cycle 1,700 were not the same.

They were people with separate memories, different experiences, and time spent in divergent worlds.

Because his surrounding reality had changed, Yoo Jonghyuk himself was now a different person from the one in the last cycle.

That was the core of Lee Seolhwa’s point. He needed to let go of the past. He needed to free himself from the curse he carried.

Yoo Jonghyuk gazed up at the sky without replying. Lee Seolhwa followed his gaze.

The vast and endless <Star Stream>.

A universe where every existence beneath the heavens is woven into a story.

When she stole a glance at Yoo Jonghyuk’s profile, he appeared lonely, sorrowful, and perhaps comprehended everything.

He was a man who had lived a single story for an eternity.

In that instant, Lee Seolhwa understood.

Yoo Jonghyuk is the sole constant; all else is merely transient.

Lee Seolhwa, Lee Hyunsung, and Lee Jihye. Every one of his companions was nothing more than a sentence written and then erased within this recurring narrative.

«Before, and even now, I am ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’.»

Hearing Yoo Jonghyuk’s words, Lee Seolhwa’s lips parted slightly.

His name did not belong to him alone.

Because others called him Yoo Jonghyuk, he became Yoo Jonghyuk.

«It will remain Yoo Jonghyuk in the future.»

To speak his own name.

It was an act of remembering those who had spoken it.

To ensure the people he met were not lost to time, to preserve the meaning within that name.

[The story of eternal immortality is dreaming.]

And, tragically, by uttering that name, he was destined to become the protagonist of the story once again.

A light glimmered in the distance. Beyond the ray that pierced the profound darkness, Seongyun’s army was advancing.

Lee Seolhwa observed the scene and asked.

«Will you come to find me in the next life?»

Yoo Joonghyuk wordlessly gauged the wind and retrieved the Attack and Defense Unit.

The weapon bequeathed by his master. An item that had gone unused in this cycle.

Yoo Joonghyuk placed the end of the Gombangdae between his lips and spoke as if exhaling faint smoke.

«Without a doubt.»

「 —Three ways to survive in a ruined world. 」

The Tyrant King, Jung Yonghu, was a member of the Misreading Association.

His hard drive was filled with dozens of fantasy novels, and his collection was a testament to his history of illicit activity.

He shared and re-shared files without a trace of remorse.

Naturally, there were occasions when he purchased books. He would then produce text by scanning or typing them out.

He was aware that his actions breached copyright law. However, he possessed no real understanding of it. In his mind, since he had bought the book, he was entitled to use its contents as he wished.

This was his belief.

[Activates the exclusive skill ‘Illegal Library’.]

His lengthy history of piracy proved immensely useful for surviving in this new world.

His mind housed thousands of fantasy novels, and ‘Ways of Survival’, the foundation of this world, was a compilation of fantasy tropes. Whenever a situation arose, he would recall the novels he had read illegally, making him more knowledgeable than anyone else. He swiftly earned the title of king and was crowned one of the ‘Seven Kings of Seoul’.

«Is everyone here?»

The black flag waving behind him was proof of his status.

Jung Yonghu slowly turned his attention toward the National Palace Museum.

Inside lay the fatal scenario site they sought.

«Shall we wait a moment longer before entering? Or do you intend to charge in now?»

The King of Assassins beside him voiced his concern.

«The situation inside remains unclear. Since the ‘disaster’ has been unleashed, it must be chaos. We should dispatch scouts to gather information first.»

«Most are likely dead. Unless Kim Dokja is among them.»

Kim Dokja.

Hearing that name, the King of Assassins grew visibly uneasy.

«Perhaps, but would it not be prudent to verify?»

«The ‘fight for the throne’ will commence shortly.»

Battle for the throne.

The central event of the fourth scenario, a conflict to claim the sole absolute throne on the Korean Peninsula.

<Qualifications for King>

1. 「The owner of the throne must be braver than any other.」

—The throne desires no weak king. To issue a challenge, one must be a king who possesses at least a [Black Flag].

2. 「He who dreams of the throne is also qualified by that desire.」

—A specific number of ‘kings’ may challenge for the absolute throne. To prevail, one must eliminate the other kings nearby.

The exact number of remaining kings was not yet shown, but their numbers had been pre-reduced, so there was little cause for worry.

«Eliminate them all before the final condition is revealed. It would be ideal to also secure the ‘Death Sword’.»

Just as they prepared to advance, a messenger urgently shouted.

«A group approaches.»

Following the report, a body of incarnations could be seen approaching from the opposite direction.

The Chungmuro Group.

A force led by the Seventh Apostle, Ye Hyunwoo, and the military commander, Gong Pildu.

One of the most powerful factions present, also in possession of a ‘black flag’, yet their king seemed utterly unconcerned.

«He appears confident.»

«Naturally. There should be no issue handling a single seventh apostle.»

A powerful surge of magical energy radiated from the Tyrant King’s entire being.

«Because I am not the original ‘Tyrant King’.»

In the original story, the Tyrant King was a ruler who used ‘prophets’ to build his power.

A powerful incarnation who employed prophets as his foundation and wielded the S-class item ‘Three Rings’ as his primary weapon.

But now, he possessed knowledge not from Ways of Survival, but from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.

From the very start, he had acquired numerous hidden items and consumed elixirs to vastly increase his strength.

«Even if the third round’s Yoo Joonghyuk were here, I am confident I could kill him.»

It was within his capability now. Even if the ‘Supreme King’ himself were to appear, he would not be defeated.

As if affirming his confidence, a tradition echoed from the heavens above.

The Tyrant King looked skyward, his expression triumphant.

«It seems <Star Stream> also recognizes who the strongest king is.»

It sounded like a classic villain’s line. Perhaps he had read too many fantasy novels. The Tyrant King smiled wryly. Once again, tradition resounded. Lightning intermittently struck the ground. Even between the bolts, something black was flying toward them.

What is that?

The Tyrant King frowned and gripped his weapon, while the shield soldiers guarding him stepped forward.

The first to sense something amiss was the Assassin King.

«That…»

When the Tyrant King turned, the Assassin King, his face pale, was already fleeing.

The moment the Tyrant King meant to shout after him, a black lightning bolt descended upon their heads.

Jung Yonghu brandished his three-wheeled ring and unleashed his magical power.

«This is-»

There was no way mere lightning could strike him down. He was the Tyrant King, Jung Yonghu.

«This is-»

But something was wrong. The instant the lightning hit, his three-wheeled ring shattered. It wasn’t just the ring. His arms, his legs. In fact, his entire body was disintegrating.

«What is this-»

Uttering the final words of a generic villain, his soul was erased by the black lightning. Along with all the fantasy novels he had collected illegally.

As the thick dust settled, a crater as if from a meteorite impact was revealed.

Within the deep pit stood a man holding a pitch-black sheet, gazing vaguely at the sky.

The man swung it experimentally and muttered.

«I thought I sensed energy from here. Was it a mistake?»

Then, the young girl on his back climbed down and asked.

«Brother. Who are you looking for?»

«There is a certain person.»

The man hoisted the girl onto his shoulders again and leaped lightly to the crater’s rim.

Now, the nearby incarnations cried out in shock.

Ye Hyunwoo, at the forefront of the incarnations, muttered.

«Yoo Joonghyuk?»

Yoo Joonghyuk looked at Ye Hyunwoo.

Meeting those cold eyes, Ye Hyunwoo quickly raised his hands.

«I did not come here to fight.»

Yoo Joonghyuk glanced at Ye Hyunwoo briefly, as if uninterested, and then turned toward the collapsed building.

He looked in the direction of the ‘Palace Museum’.

«The scenario has changed again. Why has the museum collapsed?»

«Who is inside?»

Ye Hyunwoo, who had been smiling, nodded.

«Is it Cheon Inho?»

Ye Hyunwoo was unsure how to respond.

There were several powerful individuals inside the museum.

Moreover, if it was ‘Cheon Inho’, there was little need to worry about any opponent.

That had been his belief until he witnessed the Yoo Jonghyuk now before him.

‘This is unbelievable.’

He had been surprised before, but nothing to this degree.

It was only the 41st regression.

Not the 1,863rd round, but the 41st, still early in the cycles.

What could possibly explain this overwhelming strength?

Ye Hyunwoo thought, his neck tingling with a thrill that felt like it might snap just from being near him.

‘If Yoo Joonghyuk is hunting other ‘kings’…’

The second qualification for king had already been announced.

Yoo Joonghyuk would reduce the number of kings.

If he was moving to claim victory, revealing Cheon Inho’s whereabouts could be perilous.

As Ye Hyunwoo remained silent, Yoo Jonghyuk’s eyebrow twitched.

The angle of the spear he held began to shift subtly.

[Hmm, I did not expect the number of kings to have diminished so significantly already.]

*Tsu-tsutsu-*

A dokkaebi materialized in the air with a crackling sound.

[It appears time to commence the final task.]

‘Paul’, a mid-level dokkaebi who had appeared at this opportune moment, announced the concluding task.

<Qualifications for King>

3. 「Therefore, the sole king is he who stands alone, needing no one.」

—A king who would challenge the absolute throne must demonstrate his strength using only his own body.

[Qualifications of the Last King begins.]

[Qualified kings will be transported to the final battlefield’s location.]

The time had finally come to decide the owner of the throne.