Episode 3. Protagonist(?) (2)
Wait. How many?
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—Please select your sponsor. —Your chosen sponsor will be your strong supporter.
1. Monarch of the Small Fries
2. Dragon Lying Down
3. Sneaking Schemer
....
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I blinked, dumbfounded.
This many people applied to be my sponsor?
Where did they get the word?
[The constellations are awaiting your choice.]
I coudn't tell. I guess we'll have to see who's here first.
There are a lot of people who applied, and they may not be worthy.
First up is the 'Monarch of the Small Fries'.
I expected this one.
In Omniscient Reader, he was the sponsor behind the acting leader on Geumho Station, Bang
Cheolsoo. After the beginning, he disappeared.
In other words, he was not worth considering.
[The constellation 'Monarch of the Small Fries' is glaring at you.]
The second was the 'Dragon Lying Down'.
This one is the Crouching Dragon(臥龍), 'Zhu Ge Kong Ming'. He had excellent stats for a
narrative-grade constellation.
He must have been impressed with my killing strategy, but unfortunately, I didn't plan on
choosing him here.
[The constellation 'Dragon Lying Down' is frowning.]
Next up is... Huh?
For a moment, I thought I'd misread the modifier.
Third, the 'Sneaking Schemer'.
I thought it was 'Secretive Plotter[1]'.
An imitation?
Thinking about it, I couldn't recall a constellation with this modifier.
[The constellation 'Sneaking Schemer' says he's very strong and you should choose him.]
The way he's talking, he's not even worthy of the modifier. I wonder if he's actually copying the
'Secretive Plotter'.
'Secretive Plotter' is an exceptional case, but as Kim Dokja says, it's unlikely that constellation
with such a poor modifier is a strong one.
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4. Abyssal Black Flame Dragon
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I sucked in an involuntary breath. Who?
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' came after hearing rumors about you.]
Abyssal Black Flame Dragon.
The guy who was the sponsor behind the Black Flame Demon Ruler Han Sooyoung in
Omniscient Reader, and one of the 'first four' of Bihyung's channel.
It's been a long time since I've seen that modifier.
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' tells you to decide quickly.]
Now that I think about it, he's been all over Kim Namwoon, Han Sooyoung, Kim Dokja, and
Yoo Joonghyuk before.
Then, does that mean I'm also a main character?
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is cancelling his 'Sponsor Application'.]
[The number of options for sponsors has reduced to 9.]
Short-tempered bastard.
I wasn't planning on choosing him anyway, so it wasn't a shame.
There were still six more to go.
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5. Nail-Eating Rat
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I suddenly regretted rejecting Black Flame Dragon.
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6. Primordial Cow
7. Rice Cake-Eating Tiger
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Not yet.
There are still three more to go.
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8. Pig Living in a Brick House
9. Dog Who Threw Himself Into the Flames
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What the hell is going on here?
Don't tell me there's some kind of 'zodiacal pickup only' event.
I closed my eyes, took a light, deep breath, and muttered my own lucky charm.
「I am Kim Dokja.」
I checked the last constellation.
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10. ???
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Three question marks?
Can this be a modifier?
Just as I was thinking about it, a lightning bolt flashed in my head and the scene of a dark theater
came to mind.
「"What's the identity of the constellation represented by '???' in Omniscient Reader?"」
Sure enough, the question had come up in
I knew the answer.
In the entire Omniscient Reader, there was only one constellation with the modifier '???'
He is the highest being who watches over everything in the universe.
He is the sponsor behind the regressor Yoo Joonghyuk, who only covets the next story.
[A constellation who hasn't revealed their modifier is looking at you.]
The protagonist of 『Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint』.
I looked up at the ceiling with trembling eyes.
「The Oldest Dream.」
*
The entity called "The Oldest Dream" in Omniscient Reader is divided into two.
One is the 'young Kim Dokja' who appears at the beginning of the novel.
The second is the 'adult Kim Dokja', who inherits the modifier in the second half of the novel.
Unless I'm being fooled by a high-level trick, this is clearly the beginning of the novel.
Above all, the presence of Bihyung and 'Daepong Girls' High School' Lee Jihye proved this fact.
If it was after the end of the main story of 'Omniscient Reader', there was no way Bihyung or Lee
Jihye would have appeared like this.
「So, does '???' is the 'young Kim Dokja'?」
Come to think of it, it doesn't make sense.
Throughout the course of 'Omniscient Reader', 'Young Kim Dokja' rarely interfered in the story,
except to regress Yoo Joonghyuk.
He probably doesn't even realize he's a god.
And now he's making me a 'Sponsor Application', a man who doesn't even appear in 'Ways of
Survival'?
Even when he's already Yoo Joonghyuk's sponsor?
「In that case, is '???' the 'adult Kim Dokja'?」
Even if I thought so, it didn't make sense either.
At the end of Omniscient Reader, the 'adult Kim Dokja' had his soul split into molecules and
scattered into the universe.
[A constellation who hasn't revealed their modifier is awaiting your choice.]
A cold tension radiating down my spine.
"You... Who are you?"
I ask, not really expecting an answer, but.
[A constellation who hasn't revealed their modifier is looking at you.]
My breathing stopped, and a chill spread through my body. With a tsuchuchut, my entire body began to glow blue, followed by a terrible pain as if my spine
was on fire, engulfing my consciousness.
.
.
.
[⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛.]
[This is ⬛⬛⬛ playground.]
[You may not intervene in ⬛⬛⬛ story.]
[Even if you ⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛.]
.
.
.
When I opened my eyes again, ahjussi was shaking me.
"Wake up, mate!"
My body shook helplessly.
I came to my senses with a start.
Blood trickled from my nose. What the hell? What just happened?
In my daze, ahjussi continued to shake me.
"I think I'm going to throw up...."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just saw you with white eyes suddenly. What happened with the Sponsor
Selection?"
"Sponsor Selection...?"
[There is 10 seconds left to complete the Sponsor Selection.]
Holy shit.
I quickly looked at the Sponsor Selection window.
And then.
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9. Dog Who Threw Himself Into the Flames
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I wondered what had happened.
Apparently, the '10th' option that was visible a moment ago has disappeared.
[There is 5 seconds left to complete the Sponsor Selection.]
I didn't have much time to think.
Should I choose the best constellation or....
I pondered until the very last second and made my decision.
[Sponsor Selection has ended.]
Apparently, this world is not the 'Omniscient Reader' I knew.
I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but this world was twisted in some important way.
[You haven't selected a sponsor.]
For now, I felt the need to wait and see what would happen. I could always choose a sponsor
again later.
As long as I somehow survived.
"Mate?"
"Yes."
"Did you choose?"
I shook my head.
Dansoo ahjussi shook his head as if agreeing with my response.
"Oh, come to think of it, Kim Dokja...."
"No, no, I couldn't decide, there were a lot of good constellations."
It's a lie, but I had to say it like this.
[The constellation 'Rice Cake-Eating Tiger' is relieved that was it.]
[The constellation 'Primordial Cow' is relieved.]
[The constellation 'Pig Living in a Brick House' asks to be picked next time.]
[The constellation 'Nail-Eating Rat' nods saying that it can happen.]
By saying it like this, I avoided the criticism of the constellation that made a Sponsor
Application.
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' accuses you of being pathetic for missing the
opportunity.]
[The constellation 'Sneaking Schemer' is looking at you with narrowed eyes.]
Luckily, that was a good reaction.
"How about you?"
"It was pretty hard for me, too."
"How many constellations applied?"
"Four."
I was honestly surprised.
I mean, he have done some pretty unusual things, but four?
"Did you get any good constellations?"
"There were some names I recognized."
"Who?"
I was a little nervous.
Still, he had done the good deed of saving me, so there was a chance that if he was lucky, a nice
constellation would appear.
Luckily, the Korean Peninsula had a lot of good ones, so even he only got the 'Bald General' or
'King Heungmu', the initial scenarios would be fine.
"That... 'Commander of the Red Cosmos'."
"Aha, Cosmos...."
I replied nonchalantly, then snapped my head up.
"'Commander of the Red Cosmos'?"
"Yes...."
I couldn't believe my eyes as I looked at the nervous-looking Dansoo ahjussi.
This was because the star he was referring to was a narrative-grade constellation. Commander of
the Red Cosmos.
'Archangel Jophiel' of
A constellation comparable to Uriel, who visited the 1,863rd round's world line with Kim Dokja
and later became the ruler of
"Is she a great constellation?"
"Yes. She's great."
"Actually, I don't remember much about her... The novel has a lot of difficult words, and it's
been a while since I read it...."
I asked, trying to calm the slightly quivering corners of my mouth.
"And the second one?"
This time he sounded confident.
"'Goryeo's First Sword'."
I let out a gasp.
Goryeo's First Sword, 'Cheok Jungyeong'.
The so-called 'Swordmaster Cheok', a powerful Korean constellation.
Considering its late-game potential, it wasn't a bad choice instead of a narrative class one.
"Wow, that's awesome. What about the third one?"
At that moment, Dansoo ahjussi's face looked strangely dignified.
The reason was soon revealed.
"The third one was 'God of Wine and Ecstasy'."
I wondered if I had misheard.
"Who?"
"God of Wine and Ecstasy...."
"Really? You're not lying, are you?"
"Why would I lie?"
Ahjussi looked frustrated.
As for me, I wanted to use [Lie Detection.]
No, this doesn't make sense.
Jophiel, Goryeo's First Sword.
And God of Wine and Ecstasy, Dionysus?
Who is Dionysus?
Isn't he one of the twelve gods of the great nebula
constellation that has sided with Kim Dokja since the beginning of Omniscient Reader?
No, why did those constellations appear?
I was happy for him, but I was still a little envious and upset.
"Who was the last one? No way the last one...."
"Well, the last one constellation took me by surprise."
Surprise?
For a moment, I thought about '???'
Did that option come up for him too?
"It's a constellation called 'Sneaking Schemer'."
It turned out to be the Secretive Plotter imitation.
Luckily, that last one wasn't a big deal.
"He came to me, too."
He sounded strangely disappointed.
"May I ask how it was for you?"
"I had about ten of them."
"What, ten?"
"Yeah, well, I didn't get to pick anyone."
"May I ask which ones they were?"
"Well, the Black Flame Dragon and...."
"Black Flame Dragon!"
Dansoo ahjussi nodded, his eyes shining like a child's.
However, no matter how much I thought about it, there was no other constellation worth
mentioning than the Black Flame Dragon.
[The constellation 'Nail-Eating Rat' is frowning.]
I thought for a moment, then decided to do the smart thing and save everyone's pride.
"And a dragon as famous as the Black Flame Dragon."
"That's incredible."
[The constellation 'Dragon Lying Down' is moved by your words and has sponsored you 100
coins.]
"And... There were a couple of constellation on the level of the Prisoner of the Golden
Headband...."
"On the level of the Prisoner of the Golden Headband...."
[The constellation 'Rice Cake-Eating Tiger' has sponsored you 100 coins.]
[The constellation 'Primordial Cow' has sponsored you 100 coins.]
[The constellation 'Nail-Eating Rat' has sponsored you 100 coins.]
[The constellation 'Dog Who Threw Himself into the Flames' has sponsored you 100 coins.]
The Prisoner of the Golden Headband is a strong monkey.
He doesn't know, but they're probably strong tigers, strong cows, strong rats, and strong dogs, so
I was not entirely wrong.
Seeing them rejoice made me feel good, too.
[The constellation 'Monarch of the Small Fries' is looking at you in disbelief.]
[The constellation 'Monarch of the Small Fries' is calling out for the 'Prisoner of the Golden
Headband'.]
...No way.
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' has entered the channel.]
No, wait.
[The constellation 'Rice Cake-Eating Tiger' has left the channel.]
[The constellation 'Primordial Cow' has left the channel.]
[The constellation 'Nail-Eating Rat' has left the channel.]
[The constellation 'Dog Who Threw Himself into the Flames' has left the channel.]
I felt like I could hear Bihyung's scream from somewhere.
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' asks where they all went.]
[The constellation 'Pig Living in a Brick House' says he didn't see them because he was at home.]
Even as the channel fizzled, Dansoo ahjussi, who was sitting next to me, kept giving me thumbs
up.
"Wow, that's amazing, all those big constellations."
"No, but who did you pick?"
There were three main choices.
Jophiel, Cheok Jungyeong and Dionysus.
All three are amazing constellations, so it was a matter of preference.
No matter who you pick, you're guaranteed a solid foundation for at least until the mid-game
scenarios.
Suddenly, a halo seemed to emanate from Dansoo ahjussi.
Upon closer inspection, he was a bit old, but there was an unmistakable gleam in his eyes.
Moreover, he had read the whole Omniscient Reader. Wait, this....
Is he the 'protagonist'?
Just as the protagonist of Omniscient Reader was Kim Dokja, maybe the protagonist of this story
is this ahjussi.
The situation was similar to that of Kim Dokja, as there were three big names attached to him
from the very beginning.
My heart suddenly began to race.
If this ahjussi is the protagonist....
I thought of the first sentence about Dansoo ahjussi.
"Sometimes I thought to myself. What if I were the main character."
Sure enough, I nodded my head in agreement with the exquise protagonist-like remarks.
"If I were Kim Dokja, who would I have chosen in the first 'Sponsor Selection'?"
In the first
Sage, Heaven's Equal, Black Flame Dragon, and the Secretive Plotter, but he made the mistake
of not choosing anyone.
"I was surprised. I would have picked the strongest one, of course."
"That's usually the case."
Kim Dokja had read the 3,149 chapters of 'Ways of Survival' that had 50,000 characters per
chapter, and since he was a madman who memorized them all, he could survive with that choice.
However, Dansoo ahjussi had only read 551 of the 5,000 characters per chapter 'Omniscient
Reader', and even then, he didn't understand most of them.
"Yes... I just picked the strongest constellation, as usual."
"I think I know who you picked."
Dansoo ahjussi smiled and nodded.
"Yes. I've forgotten a lot of other things, but I do remember the name of this constellation,
because it's the strongest in the entire novel."
He was suddenly talking a lot, and I felt a little uneasy.
Come to think of it, ahjussi didn't even remember who Cheon Inho was.
"Ahjussi. Sorry to disappoint you, but the 'Commander of the Red Cosmos' is the strong, but
she's not the strongest...."
"I didn't pick the red flower or whatever."
"The 'God of Wine and Ecstasy' is also a narrative-grade. As you know, above the narrative
level, there's the myth level...."
"I don't like alcohol."
I said, quickly scanning my surroundings and lowering my voice.
"Ahjussi, I'm Korean too, so I'm very fond of 'Goryeo's First Sword', but...."
"I'm not such a patriot that I would call Cheok Jungyeong the strongest either."
"Then who the hell did you choose?"
Ahjussi's eyes, which felt like guns, flashed with madness.
"Jiyoon has always said that this constellation is the best in Omniscient Reader. That she'd end
up getting married with him someday."
Marry?
"'A man who endured the tradegy of endless regressions and finally saw the end of this world',
Jiyoon had that on a poster in her room."
I suddenly realized what had happened.
No, no, no.
No way.
There's no way a reader of my novel would get that confused.
But Dansoo ahjussi was smiling confidently, like Kim Dokja who had already broken through
the [Last Wall.]
"I've picked the strongest one, the 'Sneaking Schemer'."
[The constellation 'Sneaking Schemer' is smiling brightly.]
I suddenly began to think that he was like Han Myungoh, who chose 'Lame Trickster'.
[The restriction on this area has been lifted!]
In the distance, I could see men with pipes running toward us.
[The next scenario is about to begin.]
Maybe we'll die before we meet Kim Dokja.
Author's Note
No way!
[1] Sneaking Schemer: 음험한 책략가 (eumheomhan chaeglyagga). Secretive Plotter: 은밀한
모략가 (eunmilhan molyagga).