Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (Web Novel KR)

Maybe this was how it felt to be a criminal arrested out of nowhere.
I couldn’t help but feel a little resentful toward Uncle Dansoo, sprawled out unconscious. If only he had chosen Jophiel back then, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) none of this would be happening.
I spoke toward the approaching Killer King.

“Wait. At least hear me out. Didn’t you ask if I had anything left to say?”
“I never said I’d listen. I’m not interested in the excuses of someone who massacred a dozen people right from the start.”
Apparently, [Eye of Sin] had recorded the nineteen people I’d killed through “induced killings” as part of my karmic sins.

It was unfair.
I wanted to just spill everything.
That I was actually the author of Ways of Survival. That the ones I killed would later become the villains, the Cult of Life.

“You look like you’re claiming injustice. You must think your killings were justified. Because this world is that kind of world.”
He wasn’t entirely wrong, so I had nothing to say.
“The Misread Alliance bastards were just like you.”
“The Misread Alliance?”

Killer King silently glanced toward his sister. Literature Girl 64 shook her head firmly. It seemed to mean she didn’t want to fight me.
“Yerin. We have to kill him now. The Eye of Sin doesn’t lie. He’s dangerous.”
“……”

“Do it like when we took down the Misread Alliance. I’ll finish it.”
The moment I heard those words, a cold chill shot up the back of my skull.
“Wait.”

Suddenly, an unpleasant sensation rose from the tips of my toes.
“You… you’ve killed ‘real people,’ haven’t you?”
“Is there such a thing as real people and fake people?”

“You know what I mean. Did you kill other readers?”
「‘There isn’t a single bad person among those who finished the Revelation.’」
I didn’t fully agree with Gyeong Sein’s words. Among readers, there were certainly good ones and bad ones.

But regardless of good or evil, there was a bond that only those who had read the story could share.
At the very least, if they were also “readers,” if they knew the tragedy of this world, then there had to be an unspoken promise not to abandon one another.
“The Misread Alliance deserved to die.”

But here before me was a reader who denied that.
A reader who had read the story ninety-nine times, who might understand this world better than anyone else.
I said to him,
“If you die here, you really die for good.”

“Good. They were scum of society anyway.”
Hearing that, I was sure of it. This man called Killer King wasn’t sane.
If left unchecked, he wouldn’t just endanger other readers—he could ruin the entire scenario.

But could I win against them?
Maybe against Killer King alone. But that Literature Girl 64 over there was a monster who had single-handedly fought the Dark Watchman.
It was then that my surroundings began to fade into monochrome.

「Time has stopped.」
The signs of the skill ‘□□.’
But there wasn’t anyone here likely to take an “unexpected action.”

Then why?
[Your proficiency has reached a certain threshold.]
I found out quickly.

[Your exclusive skill ‘□□’ is evolving!]
[The conditions for using ‘□□’ have been partially relaxed.]
[This skill will now activate automatically if one of the following is met:]
+
When a specific character attempts an ‘unexpected action.’

When a major ‘event’ branch occurs (limited to three times per day).
+
Thanks to frequent use, the conditions had been expanded.

Which meant if the skill was activating now, a major event branch was about to occur.
And in Ways of Survival, “major” always meant “dangerous.”
[You are entering the ‘Snowfield.’]
+

Villain’s Crisis
「At that moment, Cheon Inho ― □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□…….」
Based on current proficiency, you may add up to 200 characters of additional narration. *

+
[You may remain in the ‘Snowfield’ for a total of 5 minutes.]
Judging by Killer King and Literature Girl 64’s condition, they didn’t seem about to attack me just yet.

Which meant the danger wasn’t coming from them.
When I tilted my head up to the ceiling, I found the true culprits of this incident.
When had they appeared?

From the black shroud of shadow, three figures were crawling down the wall.
The footprints stamped across the wall explained how they’d managed to approach so silently.
[Footsteps of the Thief Rat.]

Not as advanced as Lee Jihye’s [Ghost Walk], but still a stealth skill that allowed them to move “like dead rats” in the dark.
Each one of them was clutching something like a small tear-gas canister. They clearly weren’t here for good reasons.
At this distance, they would launch their attack in about 1.8 seconds.

If left alone, Killer King and Literature Girl 64 would die—or at least be critically injured.
Killer King had tried to kill me, so technically I could let it happen.
But still—

「Villain’s Crisis.」
Looking at the scene title, I thought,
「Whose crisis is this, really?」

I began to write.
[You have written a plausible description.]
[Probability of successful reenactment: 90%.]
[Sufficient plausibility has been secured.]
[Checking reader feedback.]
+

rlaehrwk37 : Oh?
+
[Scene reenactment successful.]
[Exiting the ‘Snowfield.’]

「At that moment, Cheon Inho hurled the thorn in his right hand forward.」
“What—”
Aghast, Killer King and Literature Girl 64 rolled aside to evade the attack.

But my thorn hadn’t been aimed at them.
FWOOOSH!
Fueled by Strength level 20, the projectile pierced into the “shadow drapery,” tearing apart the figures hidden within.

Splat, splat. Something dripped out from the torn shadows, followed by an explosion in midair.
SSSSSSHHHH!
Thick violet smoke gushed out. I recognized it instantly.

Poison Mist.
Killer King’s face went pale.
“Yerin!”

His nimble sister rushed to grab her brother and retreated toward me.
I raised my hands to show I had no intention of attacking. Literature Girl 64 laid Killer King down and immediately began retching. She must have inhaled some of the Poison Mist.
I asked Killer King,

“Who the hell are they?”
“You… should know better…”
“Would I be asking if I did?”

He started to answer, then coughed up blood.
His poisoning was worse.
This wasn’t ordinary Poison Mist. It had to be poison harvested directly from a Poison Rhino’s anal gland.

I pulled out the emergency stock of Elain Monkey Lungs. I put one in my mouth and handed the other to Killer King.
For a moment, his eyes wavered.
“Take it. Before you die.”

Just before he bit into it, he muttered in a low voice,
“They’re the Misread Alliance.”
The Misread Alliance. I see.

So that’s who these guys were.
The 7 Apostles’ Assembly had at least been cute, using Dionysus’ coded messages as passwords. These ones didn’t even have that.
Ssssshhh.

Through the violet smoke, three men appeared, each with Elain Monkey Lungs in their mouths as well.
Looking closer, all three had gray fur sprouting thick across their faces.
I immediately activated [Reader Comment List].

[Exclusive skill, ‘Reader Comment List,’ has been activated.]
[The target is not a ‘reader.’]
Strange.
Wasn’t the Misread Alliance supposed to be a readers’ community?

I tried activating [Character List] just in case.
[Exclusive skill, ‘Character List,’ activated!]
[Multiple figures detected. Switching to ‘Character Summary List.’]
+

Name: Yoon Shinmin Backing
Star: Rat that Spreads Plague Exclusive
Attribute: Ratman (Rare)
Overall Stats: [Stamina Lv.15], [Strength Lv.15], [Agility Lv.15], [Magic Power Lv.8]
+

Name: Jung Hyunse Backing
Star: Rat that Spreads Plague Exclusive
Attribute: Ratman (Rare)
Overall Stats: [Stamina Lv.13], [Strength Lv.15], [Agility Lv.15], [Magic Power Lv.6]

+

Name: Kang Joonsik Backing
Star: Rat that Spreads Plague Exclusive
Attribute: Ratman (Rare)
Overall Stats: [Stamina Lv.15], [Strength Lv.15], [Agility Lv.14], [Magic Power Lv.4]
+

To my shock, all three were “characters.” Their backing stars and attributes were the same.
The Rat that Spreads Plague.
And Ratman.

They had abandoned humanity to become incarnations of the same constellation.
Inhuman species were strong in the early stages, but would readers who had finished the story really choose that path?
Impossible.

They weren’t readers.
Then why did Killer King call them the Misread Alliance?
That’s when I heard squeaking in my ears.

[Your exclusive attribute has been activated.]
[You understand the settings of this language.]
[Translating the language of the Ratmen.]
Voices reached me.
—What about Killer King?
—Poisoned.
—And the sister?
—Same. She can still move, but not for long.
—There’s someone else we don’t know.

I grew more and more confused.
That was information only readers should know.
But how could people who’d only transmigrated three days ago do this?

“Hey, excuse me. You there.”
They ignored me, speaking only among themselves.
—He has Elain Monkey Lungs. He must be an Apostle.
—From the 7 Apostles’ Assembly?
—Most likely.
—Then we have to eliminate him.

They were perfectly coordinated, nothing like our ragtag trio.
[The constellation, ‘Sneaking Schemer,’ looks down at his incarnation with a pitiful gaze.]
Just then, Uncle Dansoo and Gyeong Sein, collapsed on the ground, began convulsing.

The Poison Mist was starting to spread this way.
Thankfully, they’d eaten a lot of mole cricket meat before falling asleep, so the detoxifying effects would help them last a little longer.
“Half-eyes.”

I turned to see Killer King, gasping for breath, looking at me. His whole face had turned purple; even the Elain Monkey Lungs weren’t enough.
So he was weaker than he looked. Hadn’t invested in Stamina at all, maybe.
“You’re… not one of the Misread Alliance, are you.”

“I told you, I don’t know them.”
[The opponent has confirmed your statement is true.]
Killer King opened his mouth.

“Then I’ll believe you. You may not be a prophet, but at least you know now isn’t the time for us to fight each other.”
Nodding, he handed his own Monkey Lungs to his sister.
“Yerin, I’m sorry. This time you’ll have to do it alone.”

Literature Girl 64 shook her head violently, but at last, with trembling hands, accepted the lungs.
Killer King coughed as he continued.
“They’re low-grade inhuman species. Around 8th or 9th class. I don’t know their patterns… but you can handle them alone.”

I thought I understood how these siblings fought. The brother Killer King was the brain; the sister did the real fighting.
Killer King looked at me.
“I don’t trust you. But…”

“Consider it a debt.”
“If you can repay it.”
With those words, he closed his eyes. Not dead, but conserving energy to endure the poisoning.

I told the sister,
“Take just one. We have to finish this before your brother dies.”
Staggering, Literature Girl 64 rose to her feet.

Meanwhile, the Ratmen seemed to have finished analyzing our strength.
—Secured a Random Item Box.
—There’s a variable, but should we attack?
—Killer King must be eliminated here. If not now, we may never get another chance.
They exchanged grim looks.

[The constellation, ‘Rat that Spreads Plague,’ grins foully.]
Suddenly, a shiver ran down my spine.
Through the violet mist, I hallucinated hundreds of rats staring at me.

The Ratmen leapt, surrounding me.
Ratmen—class 8 inhuman species.
All three had high stats, and their attribute bonuses made them frighteningly fast.

Thankfully, Literature Girl 64 darted forward and took on one, launching into brutal close combat.
She was slower from the poison, but strong enough to handle one.
That left two.

Their elongated claws slashed past my head with murderous intent.
Terrifying. One mistake and I’d be dead.
I chanted a spell to steel myself.

「I am Yoo Joonghyuk. Yoo Joonghyuk. Strong-as-hell Yoo Joonghyuk. Handsome Yoo Joonghyuk.」
[Exclusive skill, ‘Incite Lv.3,’ has been activated!]
Of course, calling myself Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t make me Yoo Joonghyuk.

But at least it would make me braver like him. Maybe even let me imitate him a little.
「A pale trajectory tore through the air.」
SLASH!

A blow fueled by Strength level 20 ripped through the air, tearing apart a Ratman’s arm.
Startled, the Ratman leapt back.
—Dangerous. The variable’s Strength exceeds 20.
—He doesn’t fear injury. Not normal.
—Spread out. Change tactics.

In an instant, they widened the distance and drew long tubes from their coats.
I felt a bad premonition.
“Dodge!”

I lunged forward, swinging my knife. Something clanged off the mole cricket blade, deflecting away. But I couldn’t block them all.
“Ah.”
I glanced aside to see a long needle embedded in Literature Girl 64’s thigh.

I quickly caught her and pulled back.
Her complexion turned rapidly violet.
Damn it.

—His Agility level is over 20 as well.
—Already two stats over 20?
—He might be an Apostle possessing a named character.
—Part of ?
The Ratmen muttered as they craned their necks skyward, like terminals awaiting a signal.
—The answer is no.

—Then we eliminate him here.
And that was when a chilling thought struck me.
These Ratmen weren’t readers, yet they knew information only readers should know.

Which meant someone was feeding them intel.
Someone who might even be communicating with them in real time.
I instinctively looked up into the empty air.

「Did every reader of Ways of Survival really transmigrate into incarnations?」
From beyond the black shadows, I felt a gaze fixed on me.
[The constellation, ‘Rat that Spreads Plague,’ looks down at you.]

I gave a bitter smile.
Sooyoung-ah. Isn’t this pushing plausibility a bit too far?