Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Novel MTL - Chapter 668

Chapter 668

Of course. Here is the paraphrased chapter.

***

**Episode 21 Kim Dokja (4)**

We exited the dungeon immediately. With the Death Sword now in our possession, we had no further business within the ‘Star Labyrinth’.

[You have escaped the ‘Star Labyrinth’.]

The waiting room we emerged into had collapsed. Had the landscape outside shifted so much during our time inside?

It appeared I wouldn’t even need the ‘Everchanging Stealth Suit’; a path could likely be cleared by moving a few piles of rubble. Pressed for time, I started working at once. Casually, as I dug, I spoke up.

“But editor.”

“Yes.”

“That power you used earlier. That was ‘Gingoa’.”

Ji Eunyu, who was digging alongside me, answered.

“It’s my constellation’s power.”

Ji Eunyu had suppressed my [madness] by channeling a spell from ‘Gingoa’. Without her, even attempting to summon the ‘Death Sword’ would have been impossible. Yet, a constellation of that stature shouldn’t possess the virtue to perform such a miracle.

[The constellation ‘God of Alcohol and Ecstasy’ gazes at Min Jiwon.]

[The constellation ‘Liar With a Long Nose’ asks, is that not the constellation Gingoa?]

[The constellation ‘Reclining Dragon’ is grinding its ink.]

[Several constellations are shocked by ‘Gingoa’s’ miraculous power!]

[Certain Holy Sees are demanding a probability audit from the Administration!]

A holy relic of Gingoa.

[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ cleans out his ear.]

To be precise, it was a relic from the ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’—an artifact of the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal.

So, was Ji Eunyu’s sponsor the Great Sage himself? Or perhaps it was Shakyamuni, or even the Buddhist Master Sanzang who had given the Great Sage that relic?

If not that, then…

“There’s a cost, isn’t there?”

My question made Ji Eunyu’s pupils flicker briefly.

I had expected as much.

This wasn’t a power meant for the fourth scenario. It was an intervention significant enough to override one of the core rules of the initial scenario. Even if her constellation was the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal, it wouldn’t come easily.

A moment later, Ji Eunyu nodded.

“I cannot participate as a ‘king’ in this scenario.”

I knew it. Her constellation must have struck a deal with the administration, stipulating that their own incarnation would not obtain the ‘King’s Tale’.

After clearing the final debris from the museum, Gwanghwamun came into view in the distance. Dark crimson clouds churned in the ink-black sky.

It was the precursor to the ‘Great Hall’.

“You should go. Quickly.”

I nodded.

It might already be too late.

Yoo Jonghyuk has likely already taken the absolute throne, and this world’s destruction may be inevitable.

Even so, I had to see it for myself. At the very least, I now had an obligation to do so.

“I’ll return.”

After one last glance at Ji Eunyu, I sprinted directly toward the square.

Ji Eunyu watched Lee Hakhyun’s retreating back.

She wanted to tell him he could still turn back.

This isn’t a story in a book; this is reality. If he dies there, it will be a true death.

But just as she had been powerless to prevent Lee Hakhyun’s novels from being canceled, she was powerless to stop him now.

Ji Eunyu tried to recall the face of the Lee Hakhyun she knew. For some reason, his features were blurry in her mind, but the essence of who he was remained perfectly clear.

‘A love for stories.’

Many people enjoy stories.

But in her view, Lee Hakhyun was uniquely special. He had been that way since they first met. He was always writing, always composing sentences, no matter where he was.

It was as if he was terrified of all the empty ‘space’ that existed in the world.

A trickle of blood welled up inside her. She bent over slightly and spat it out, a message echoing in her head.

[You have utilized power that exceeds your current limits.]

As expected, invoking ‘Gingoa’ this early in the scenarios was too much.

Without her constellation’s direct support, she wouldn’t have even been able to attempt it.

[The constellation ‘Lotus Flower Blooming Under the Moonlight’ gazes at you with concern.]

Ji Eunyu could feel the gaze of the constellation watching over her from the sky above.

Lotus Flower Blooming Under the Moonlight.

Her constellation was a famous supporting character from ‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’.

The one who protected Kim Dokja from the closest position.

In a way, she was a being who understood humans better than anyone else.

“Yoo Sangah.”

Light sparks crackled in the air, and a reply came.

[The constellation ‘Lotus Flower Blooming Under the Moonlight’ says it is not too late.]

It’s not too late.

She knew that Lee Hakhyun’s ‘it’s not too late’ and her constellation’s ‘it’s not too late’ held entirely different meanings.

“Do you believe the author is mistaken? Do you still think this story must not be altered?”

[The constellation ‘Lotus Flower Blooming Under the Moonlight’ says that right and wrong are irrelevant.]

Right and wrong are irrelevant.

[The constellation ‘Lotus Flower Blooming Under the Moonlight’ says all stories simply flow toward their conclusion.]

“Does everyone start talking like a cryptic sage once they become a constellation?”

Her constellation offered no reply.

Ji Eunyu looked up into the sky with a bitter expression and added, “The author probably already knows your true identity.”

Lee Hakhyun was no fool.

The moment he witnessed the power of ‘Gingoa’, he likely pieced it all together.

Throughout all of ‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’, there were only a handful of beings capable of such a miracle.

“What is it that you want?”

[The constellation ‘Lotus Blooming Under the Moonlight’ answers the ‘end’.]

“You just want to get ‘your Kim Dokja’ back.”

[The constellation ‘Lotus Flower Blooming Under the Moonlight’ remains silent.]

“If the ending you desire comes to pass, what becomes of this world? Will it be destroyed as originally planned?”

[The constellation ‘Lotus Blooming Under the Moonlight’ hesitates to answer.]

Ji Eunyu pressed no further. It was likely a question her constellation could not answer.

And perhaps that wasn’t what she truly wanted to know.

“Are we… the author and I… just one of those ‘fragments’?”

Lee Hakhyun’s figure was now a distant speck.

She could just make out his white coat fluttering in the rain.

Ji Eunyu thought the coat suited him. Yet, she also wished he’d never had to wear it.

For a long time, her constellation gave no answer.

The sound of combat echoed from afar. The fighting had evidently resumed.

Only when Lee Hakhyun had completely vanished did her constellation finally speak.

[The constellation ‘Lotus Flower Blooming Under the Moonlight’ says the ending of this story is fixed, yet no one knows the ending of “this” story.]

They were strange words. Yet, they felt somehow familiar to Ji Eunyu.

“That sounds exactly like the opening line of a novel I know,” she said.

Probably because she already knew similar sentences.

“There are ways to survive in a ruined world, and now I’ve forgotten some of them.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Ji Eunyu added more words. She was an editor who had spent a long time with stories, reading and rereading sentences.

“But one thing is certain. That is, if you are reading this right now, you will survive.”

Ji Eunyu prayed that the sentence held truth.

Rain fell over Gwanghwamun, mixing with blood to dye the ground crimson. A man’s face was reflected in a pool of spilled blood.

Staring at that unfamiliar reflection, the Killer King stifled a sigh.

‘How did it come to this?’

Everything had gone according to plan.

‘The Last King’ had unfolded as he predicted, and the scenario’s conditions were as he knew them.

3. 「Therefore, the only king is the one who stands alone without anyone’s help.

—A king who can challenge the absolute throne must prove his strength with his body alone.

[From this point onward, no king may receive support from their constellation.]

[From this point onward, the attack and defense power of all items will be limited.]

[From this point onward, all skills, stigmas, and special item options will be sealed.]

[From this point onward, all kings’ overall stats will be normalized to 10/10/10/10/10.]

[The ‘Qualification of the Last King’ will continue until only one person remains.]

The ‘last king’s qualification’ was a ‘raw battle’—a contest where no equipment, skills, or stigmas could be used.

An ordeal where everyone possessed the same level 10 stats and had to defeat every other king using only their physical prowess.

[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ sighs as it monitors the situation.]

[The constellation ‘Bald General of Justice’ congratulates the new owner of the throne.]

[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ questions if this outcome makes any sense.]

[Many constellations are stunned by the results of ‘The Last Qualifications’.]

The Killer King had prepared meticulously for this very ordeal since first possessing this character.

The key to the ‘Qualifications for the Last King’ was to amass as many ‘coins’ as possible. In the original story, Kim Dokja had used his coins on this battlefield to temporarily boost his stats to their limit, employing a clever trick to defeat Yoo Jonghyuk.

[83,000 coins have been consumed.]

So the Killer King did the same. He had gathered even more coins than Kim Dokja had in the story and spent them far more lavishly. It was capital that would vanish once the scenario ended, but that didn’t matter. Stopping Yoo Jonghyuk was paramount.

Initially, the strategy worked. He amplified his stats to their peak and pushed Yoo Jonghyuk hard with strength exceeding 100.

The operation was effective. He believed it was working.

Until Yoo Jonghyuk halted him.

“It seems you’ve exhausted your coins.”

“Where did you acquire this information?”

Was it just raw power?

No. While his stats were high, the Yoo Jonghyuk before him possessed something else entirely.

A softness that mastered strength. An unprecedented energy radiated from Yoo Jonghyuk’s palm. It was neither a skill nor a typical power. It was the fundamental essence of power itself.

Goosebumps erupted across his skin.

‘The restrictions didn’t apply to stories.’

But this realization came too late. His vision darkened as he collapsed to the ground.

He couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

When he opened his eyes, nausea washing over him, he saw the Immortal King Lee Dansu and the Bald-headed King Gong Pildu already defeated on the floor.

He spotted the Assassin King fleeing the scene, immediately hiding within the crowd.

A belated sigh escaped him.

[Incarnation ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’ has passed all trials of the ‘Absolute Throne’.]

It was over.

The Killer King lifted his head dazedly, watching Yoo Jonghyuk’s retreating back.

They had lost.

With every step Yoo Jonghyuk took, the crowd retreated like a receding tide. Those overwhelmed by his sheer presence fell to their knees.

There was.

“Supreme King…”

Someone uttered the title.

“Supreme King! The victor is the Supreme King!”

“The one true king of the Korean peninsula!”

The murmuring swelled into cheers. Some were afraid of him, some envied him.

And everyone was in awe of him.

An overwhelming force that had single-handedly defeated every other king.

Watching Yoo Jonghyuk, the Killer King thought.

「 I am not Yoo Jonghyuk. 」

He stumbled back to his feet.

He knew he was outmatched. He felt it viscerally. Even if every single possessed reader joined forces, stopping Yoo Jonghyuk would be impossible.

Yet, the Killer King made a promise.

‘I am Ja Sungwoo.’

I will prevent the destruction of this world.

Yoo Jonghyuk’s steps toward the ‘Absolute Throne’ never wavered. Less than thirty steps now remained.

“Brother!”

When had she escaped the dungeon?

Ja Yerin, having recovered somewhat from her injuries, was running toward him, magical energy flaring around her body.

[Incarnation ‘Lee Seyeon’s’ ‘Battle Action Mode’ has been activated!]

Battle Action Mode.

The Killer King looked at the controller that materialized before him.

There was no other choice.

They had to stop Yoo Jonghyuk by any means necessary. And this skill was the most powerful technique the siblings could combine.

A special move potent enough to fatally wound even an S-class poisonous dragon.

Theoretically, it could work against Yoo Jonghyuk.

So why did he feel this profound sense of dread?

“Is this a game?”

The moment the Killer King heard Yoo Jonghyuk’s quiet mutter, he felt doused in ice water. How could he have forgotten?

“Yerin!”

He grabbed the controller and charged.

This fight was unwinnable from the start.

Their opponent was the ‘Supreme King’.

And the Supreme King’s former profession was—

[Incarnation ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’s’ unique characteristic has been activated!]

Kwaaaaaaaa!

With a thunderous crash, Ja Yerin’s body crumpled mid-skill activation.

The Killer King barely caught his sister as she was thrown backward, blood spraying from her mouth.

She screamed, coughing up more blood.

He could see the mark where the [Hundred Steps Divine Fist] had struck her waist.

A blow that had perfectly predicted her preparatory motions in an instant. In that brief window, Yoo Jonghyuk had discerned the exact weakness of [Battle Action Mode].

“Do you have a death wish?”

The Killer King slowly looked around.

No one had died yet.

That fact was both a small relief and a source of utter despair.

The Supreme King had been holding back this entire time.

They couldn’t win.

His body began to yield before his mind did.

He thought he had known Yoo Jonghyuk. He had read the entire novel a hundred times and believed he understood him more precisely than the author who wrote it.

But this was different.

Meeting Yoo Jonghyuk’s gaze, the Killer King felt a vast distance, like someone facing a book of immeasurable depth.

The life Yoo Jonghyuk had lived was too different.

No one could stop him.

No one could understand him.

No one in this world possibly could—

“Stop right there.”

A voice, laced with annoyance.

“Damn it. I never wanted to have to play through this scenario again.”

Someone was blocking Yoo Jonghyuk’s path.

A blue combat uniform made of elastic material.

The ‘Blade of Faith’ emitted a brilliant white light from its edge.

“Aren’t you tired of it yourself?”

The person standing there was not Kim Dokja. But in a sense, she was someone who understood this world even better than he did.

Everyone present—the Killer King, Ja Yerin, Lee Dansu—stared, captivated by the same face.

It was a face they were seeing for the first time.

Yet, it was a face they all instinctively recognized.

The one who had summoned the ‘Death Sword’ before anyone else in the original story. The one who transcended the title of king and called herself the Black Flames Empress.

“Yoo Jonghyuk.”

A writer of this world.

“Can’t you stop writing your story now?”

Han Sooyoung.