Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (Web Novel KR)

Misreader’s Association.
At first, that site was just a gathering of people who collected rare books.
A small club where they read out-of-print books that were no longer available in Korea, or untranslated classics, and shared opinions among themselves.

But little by little, as the number of members increased and the site grew, problems began to arise.
“Some members started illegally sharing things on their own. Not just rare books, but even regularly serialized comics and novels.”
Rumors spread that you could read paid content for free there, and the site grew bigger and bigger, until it eventually took the form of a business. Adult advertisements were plastered all over the site, and illegal gambling funds flowed in.

A few more years later, the founding members vanished without a trace, and the site transformed completely into an illegal distribution hub.
After listening to all of Gyeong Sein’s explanation, I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around it.
“You said before that the Seven Readers’ Association fought against this Misreader’s Association.”

“Ah, yes.”
“Then the Seven Readers’ Association fought against that illegal site?”
“Well, that’s……”
Gyeong Sein glanced at Killer King, then cautiously added in a low voice.

“The Seven Readers’ Association got into a fight with anonymous readers, but those anonymous ones turned out to be people who’d read pirated novels from ‘Misreader’s Association.’”
Now I finally understood what was going on.
In other words, what they called “Misreader’s Association” literally referred to those who read and shared pirated copies.

And judging by things now, even those readers had transmigrated into this world.
Killer King picked up from Gyeong Sein’s words.
“You probably don’t know this, but because of Misreader’s Association, there were authors who gave up writing, or even killed themselves under financial hardship.”

“……”
“They’re people who consumed the content someone devoted their whole life to creating—illegally. Because of them, many of the authors I liked disappeared.”
Indeed, among my fellow authors, there were several who had quit writing because of illegal sharing.

“So that’s why you fought them?”
Killer King didn’t reply, simply snapping his head to the side.
Honestly, I was moved.

Even as an author, I’d only felt helpless about piracy—but here was a reader like Killer King, so fiercely proactive.
And in this place, he wasn’t just writing comments online; he was literally putting his life on the line.
I suddenly grew curious about the kind of comments Killer King had left.

[Exclusive Skill, ‘Reader Comment List’ has been activated.]
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ID: killer_king
Platform: Series, Paperback
Total Comments: 491
Reader Level: 99
Completion Count: 99.8 times
You can spend Coins to view this reader’s comments.
Currently available comments for free: 3.

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Without hesitation, I pressed [View Comments].
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I am Yoo Joonghyuk.
― Upvotes 0 / Downvotes 1
(Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Chapter 1)
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I am Yoo Joonghyuk.
― Upvotes 0 / Downvotes 1
(Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Chapter 23)

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I am Yoo Joonghyuk.
― Upvotes 0 / Downvotes 1
(Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Chapter 77)
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I doubted my own eyes.
Noticing my stare, Killer King frowned at me.
“What are you looking at like that.”

“No, just……”
“Keep staring like that and I’ll kill you.”
“You really sound just like Yoo Joonghyuk.”

Killer King gave a short groan, then stood up and deliberately looked elsewhere.
The sight was almost like a sulking younger cousin, and I was about to tease him again when a voice came from behind.
“Um, thank you for saving me.”

Before I knew it, LiteratureGirl64 had regained consciousness, bowing her head weakly.
I waved it off with my hand.
“No, it was just luck.”
“Luck, sure.”

Killer King added in a tone that, strangely, sounded cheerful.
“At least we didn’t lose the Random Item Box.”
At his words, all of us turned to the dark, sooty-looking box the Ratmen had dropped.

No doubt Killer King’s party had come here aiming for that very box.
Just as tension began to creep in, Killer King spoke first.
“We’ll let you have this one.”

LiteratureGirl64 nodded in agreement.
I saw Gyeong Sein and Uncle Dansoo’s faces brighten.
But I shook my head.

“No, it’s fine. We’ll just take the rest of the items.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. The rest is enough for us.”

I looked down at the items scattered on the ground.
The same D-grade items Kim Dokja had once picked up in the original work—and even a few others that hadn’t appeared in the main story.
As if offering me one last chance, Killer King asked again.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t read properly. You do know the true value of this Item Box, don’t you?”
“We really are fine with the rest. Just don’t regret it later.”
Killer King hesitated, but in the end couldn’t hide the greedy light in his eyes as he clutched the Item Box to his chest.

“I owe you one. I’ll make sure to repay this debt.”
Saying that, Killer King strode off.
LiteratureGirl64 bowed deeply, then followed after her brother.

I asked Gyeong Sein and Uncle Dansoo to sort out the rest of the loot, then walked Killer King’s party to the entrance of the ‘Shadows Corridor.’
Just before passing through, Killer King stopped.
We were at a distance where neither Uncle Dansoo nor Gyeong Sein could hear.

“I intended to kill all of you.”
“Yes. That really was a terrible thing.”
“Why didn’t you tell them?”

“You didn’t actually kill us, did you?”
Killer King scowled, as if unable to understand.
“What’s your name?”

“Cheon Inho.”
“No way—that Cheon Inho?”
“Yes.”

For some reason, everyone reacted the same upon hearing that name.
“I can’t believe someone transmigrated into that piece of trash. You’re not using the Cheoldoo Gang to go around killing people, are you?”
“If I had, you’d already be dead here too.”

“You… what the hell are you.”
I just shrugged and smiled.
For an instant, a dark light flickered in Killer King’s eyes. The Stigma [Eyes of Sin] had activated.

I suddenly grew curious.
“What do you see me as?”
To his eyes, ‘Cheon Inho’ was labeled as a ‘murderer who killed over a dozen people.’

「I am Yi Hak-hyeon.」
Then what would ‘Author Yi Hak-hyeon’ look like?
“What the……”

The next moment, Killer King’s eyes went wide. His entire retina darkened, like it had been overwritten with overlapping black letters.
I wondered—
What sin did my name show in his eyes?

[The Constellation, ‘Commander of the Red Cosmos’ is astonished!]
Chzzzzzt!
[The Stigma, ‘Eyes of Sin’ has been forcibly terminated.]

Killer King groaned in pain, clutching the eye he’d used the stigma with, staring at me.
“You… no. That’s impossible. It must’ve malfunctioned.”
Muttering to himself, Killer King finally said:

“No villain like that could exist in this world.”
He looked at me again.
Not with the dark gaze of [Eyes of Sin], but with clear eyes—the eyes of someone who had perhaps read Ways of Survival ninety-nine times.

“May the story’s blessing be with you.”
With those words, Killer King turned and walked on without looking back.
His sister glanced back at me several times before disappearing with him into the ‘Shadows Corridor.’

I stood there, waving until their figures vanished completely.
Hoping that they too would find the blessing of the story.
***

Among the items Uncle Dansoo and Gyeong Sein had gathered, there were more useful things than I’d expected.
“This shield should be yours, Sein.”
“As expected, the ‘Rusty Iron Shield’ is the classic tank choice.”

The Rusty Iron Shield.
In the original story, it was used by Lee Hyunsung.
Among us, Gyeong Sein was the best fit for it.

“The Mana Recovery Bracelet goes to you, Uncle.”
“Are you sure I can just accept this… thank you.”
Like strapping on a luxury watch, he buckled the bracelet around his wrist and smiled with satisfaction.

Considering his skill [Multiple Communication], it would be quite useful for him.
There was also a faintly anti-magic ring, and a pair of gloves that slightly boosted defense.
Not much, but for this early stage, more than enough.

Last, my eyes fell on an item that looked like half-melted jelly.
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Name: Unshaped Thought
Grade: D
Description: A magic weapon of the past that lost its form. It could have become anything, but in the end became nothing.
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Come to think of it, I had once come up with something like this. An item that only existed in setting notes—I never expected to see ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ it here.

Once again, I was convinced.
This world contained not only what appeared in the main story, but also the countless “settings” I had scribbled down in my notes.
「Then were those settings really mine, or were they things Han Sooyoung had whispered to me?」

That was when Gyeong Sein spoke up.
“But, Inho.”
“Yes?”

“Why did you give up the Random Item Box?”
I was wondering when someone would ask.
Judging from his expression, he had been debating it for a while—like someone who had just lost a lottery jackpot ticket.

“Actually, I was curious too.”
Uncle Dansoo carefully raised his hand.
Of course they found it strange.

Not just any item, but the ‘Random Item Box.’
It was an essential material for restoring Kim Dokja’s sacred relic, Indomitable Faith.
My reason for giving it up was simple.

“That box was useless anyway.”
“…What?”
“Someone already used it.”

“That’s impossible… who?”
“Did those Misreader guys secretly use it first?”
Uncle Dansoo’s guess made me shake my head.

“Before we and Killer King’s party arrived, someone else had already been here.”
I was sure. For a brief moment, I had personally opened the Item Box to check. Its usage count had already dropped to zero.
Uncle Dansoo asked:

“Another reader arrived before us?”
“We only made it here from Geumho Station today. Even the guy who said he’d read the novel ninety-nine times only arrived today.”
“Then who could possibly…”

“At this point, there’s only one person who could.”
Realizing whom I meant, Gyeong Sein gulped.
“Yoo Joonghyuk.”

I nodded.
From Oksoo Station to here was barely a station and a half.
For the current Yoo Joonghyuk, who could down a grade-7 beast in a single blow, he could have come and gone long ago.

Muttering to himself, Gyeong Sein said:
“Come to think of it, in the 3rd regression Yoo Joonghyuk did sneak in and take the treasure… But I thought back then he didn’t know about the Random Item Box?”
“There’s a narration saying he learned about it from Bi Cheonhorihan in the 6th regression. This is the 41st—he’d obviously know by now.”

“Ah…”
Gyeong Sein bowed his head in defeat.
Even Uncle Dansoo’s face grew grim.

“It’s really a different world compared to the 3rd regression Kim Dokja lived in.”
“Very different.”
Even at the 41st round, Yoo Joonghyuk’s experience was on a whole other level from the 3rd round in the original.

Most of the items Kim Dokja had once relied on in the early game would probably be monopolized by him now.
Suddenly, Gyeong Sein looked up sharply.
“Wait. Then Killer King who took that box just now…”

He must be seething with rage, realizing he’d been tricked by a villain.
Gyeong Sein looked at me with admiration.
“Wow… Inho, when did you plan that far ahead?”

“The moment I saw the box had already been used.”
“You’re awful. And smart.”
“Thank you.”

“Glad I chose to side with you. A shame about the box, but…”
Uncle Dansoo quietly said, glancing at the items we’d acquired:
“At least we gained plenty otherwise.”

With his bracelet, Sein’s shield, and several useful accessories, it wasn’t a fruitless haul.
Still, it would feel a bit lacking to leave with just this…
After a moment of hesitation, I turned back to the spot where the Random Item Box had originally been.

Roughly here?
I sat down and began to dig into the ground.
Startled, Uncle Dansoo and Gyeong Sein looked confused, so I explained:

“If you don’t mind helping—something’s bothering me.”
“Was there another hidden thing here in the original?”
“No, nothing like that.”

I wasn’t certain. But it was better to check than not.
「‘Author-nim. Honestly, I think this is a bit too much… Even if it’s trendy these days.’」
The voice of Ji Eunyeo rose in my memory.

A memory from five years ago, when we were drafting the early chapters of Ways of Survival.
「‘If you hand out too much in the early game, there won’t be any tension.’
‘Then what would be better?’

‘I think the first draft plan you had was the right choice.’
‘Yeah, that’s probably best.’」
After who knows how long digging, my fingers brushed against something hard.

“Uh—there’s something here?”
[The Constellation, ‘Sneaking Schemer’ widens his eyes.]
Brushing away the dirt, we pulled the object up together.

A mound of soil tumbled away, revealing the shape of what we’d unearthed.
[The Constellation, ‘Tiger Who Eats Rice Cakes’ opens her mouth wide.]
[A Constellation without an epithet is shocked!]
What we found was a black box with a familiar exterior.

Uncle Dansoo and Gyeong Sein stared blankly at it, then asked me:
“Inho… is this, perhaps…?”
Ji Eunyeo’s words came to mind.

「‘Yes. It’s better if only one of those boxes is ever found.’」
The truth was—there was more than one Random Item Box hidden here.