Episode 3. Protagonist(?) (4)
There is an immutable law that those worthy know.
「A man with narrow eyes is stronger when he opens his eyes.」
I squeezed both eyes. Slowly, my eyelids rose.
「I am Yoo Joonghyuk.」
['Incite' is effective.]
Little by little, I began to have strange thoughts.
Maybe I really am Yoo Joonghyuk?
['Incite' is in full effect.]
Suddenly, I felt skeptical of everything I was about to do. I don't know why, but I also felt like
finding and killing Kim Dokja.
「No, you can't be that Yoo Joonghyuk.」
[The effect of 'Incite' is being adjusted.]
I (lightly) became Yoo Joonghyuk.
Bang Cheolsoo's eyes widened as he met mine.
"Did you really think that Bluff would work?"
It was my voice, but it suddenly sounded cool.
This is how Yoo Joonghyuk feels.
Bang Cheolsoo's [Bluff] didn't even tickle him.
[The constellation 'Monarch of the Small Fries' feels a bizarre fear from you.]
[The constellation 'Sneaking Schemer' looks at you as if they're offended.]
[A constellation who hasn't revealed their modifier is looking at you with strange eyes.]
It seems to have worked, as even the constellations were surprised.
Bang Cheolsoo was visibly flustered when his [Bluff] didn't work, and he clenched his knuckled
fists tightly.
[The character 'Bang Cheolsoo' has used 'Threaten'.]
[For some unknown reason, 'Threaten' doesn't work on you.]
Finally, a bead of sweat formed on his forehead.
"You're a very strong man."
Even without the [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint], I could see through him.
「If you get caught here, you're done for.」
Shall I just end it here?
I'm comfortable with killing all of these guys.
A cursory glance tells me there aren't any other possessed here.
But for some reason, I don't like the idea.
No one likes to kill.
I tried saying this.
"Lee Cheoldoo said he doesn't want you to waste your life in vain."
"How do you know about him?"
"I've heard a lot about you from Cheoldoo."
At my words, Dansoo ahjussi looked at me in surprise.
Bang Cheolsoo looked confused.
"You...."
"I accompanied him to Geumho Station. He said he would introduce me to you."
"I-I didn't hear anything like that from Cheoldoo hyung-nim."
"When did he report such things to you one by one?"
"Cheoldoo hyung-nim... Where is he?"
Bang Cheolsoo's words suddenly became polite. It was evidence that he was shaking.
Instead of answering, I looked theatrically to my left, where the headless body of Lee Cheoldoo
lay.
"I'm sorry."
Bang Cheolsoo staggered toward Lee Cheoldoo's body.
"It was a fitting end for him. He died fighting."
"With whom—"
"Revenge."
At the end of my gaze, the body of the Life Leader stretched out before me.
[The constellation 'Monarch of the Small Fries' is watching your story with interest.]
[The constellation 'Monarch of the Samll Fries' likes the sudden noir.]
Bang Cheolsoo stared at me blankly, then bit his lip tightly.
"How can I believe that?"
"It is your freedom to believe it or not."
"If you're the one who sent Cheoldoo hyung-nim to....!"
"If you are going to do it, then take revenge on me right now."
Bang Cheolsoo stood up, glaring at me with red eyes.
However, it didn't seem like the behavior of someone who was really motivated.
[The character 'Bang Cheolsoo' is looking at you.]
[The character 'Bang Cheolsoo' wants to do something unexpected.]
[The activation condition for the exclusive skill '□□' has been met.]
I see.
I think I know a little bit about this skill's activation condition now.
[The exclusive skill '□□' is activated.]
The scenery around me turned colorless, and the people began to stiffen.
As I look at the letters floating around, I realize that it's time to create once again.
[The character 'Bang Cheolsoo's attribute is preparing to bloom.]
[You can interfere with character 'Bang Cheolsoo's attribute blooming.]
[Due to the character's low potential, the attribute cannot bloom with a single modification.]
Bang Cheolsoo can't be like Kim Cheolyang.
However, Life Leader Kim Cheolyang was originally part of the Ten Evils and also possessed
the attribute of the Crouching Figure.
Bang Cheolsoo, on the other hand, is just an ordinary junkie.
But when the system says it like that, it makes me wonder.
It might be the author's arrogance.
In
[You have entered the 'Snowfield'.]
[Describe the next action of 'Bang Cheolsoo'.]
+
# Bang Cheolsoo's Change of Heart
「Bang Cheolsoo, Assault Force Leader of the Cheoldoo Group, □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□」
* At your current skill level, you can write a total of 160 additional characters.
+
160 characters.
I could write 10 more characters than last time.
[You can stay in the 'Snowfield' for a total of 3 minutes.]
This is definitely better than last time.
Because I now know a little bit about this skill.
First of all, this skill can't reproduce 'ridiculous' changes in reality.
For example, a character can't suddenly awaken memories of a previous life as a martial arts
master and become your loyal servant.
You're more likely to succeed if you describe a behavior that matches the character's desires.
From the message I received before, it seems that I can make additional changes as I accumulate
probability.
[Current Accumulated Probability: 10]
[You can increase the reproduction success rate by getting more probability.]
I don't think I'll be able to make much of a difference with this amount.
I'll write for now.
I painstakingly crammed in a sentence of about 160 characters.
[This story's reproduction success rate is 88%.]
[There's enough probability.]
[Do you want to check the reader's feedback?]
Come to think of it, there was this function too.
KimDokja37 or something replies.
I wonder if he's the real Kim Dokja?
Then what's the number 37?
'Yes.'
+
rlaehrwk37: I hear the sound of Bang Cheolsoo's washing machine running.
rlaehrwk61: Well, he hasn't really started being an asshole yet.
+
There was another Kim Dokja?
Anyway, judging by the reactions, it didn't seem like this development would cause any serious
problems.
[Successfully recreating the scene.]
[Leaving the 'Snowfield'.]
The letters disappeared into thin air, and the story began again.
I sucked in a breath and spat out the words.
"Life's boring.... Don't you think so?"
「Bang Cheolsoo listened to the words in a daze.」
"...."
「Bang Cheolsoo, the Assault Force Captain of the Cheoldoo Group. He had always despaired
over this world. Long before the scenario began, his world was doomed.」
Extras also have their own stories. No matter how inscrutable and mundane it was.
"How long are you going to live as the Assault Force Captain of the Cheoldoo Group?"
"What? What do you know—"
"The world has changed. It's not the one you've always resented, and it's time for the likes of you
to make peace with the past."
"...."
"You have a choice. You can follow me, or you can continue to live your pathetic little life."
Bang Cheolsoo's eyes shook faintly.
1,863 regressions.
Throughout Yoo Joonghyuk's regressions in Ways of Survival, Bang Cheolsoo was always the
Assault Force Captain of Cheoldoo Group.
He lived as the Assault Force Captain and died as the Assault Force Captain.
He was not given a moment to think about the value or dignity of life.
He should not have been rehabilitated. He should not have been rehabilitated, he had to be
pointed out by people and become a trophy for the protagonist to shine.
Hence, this sentence I wrote.
「Do I still have a choice?」
It was a possibility granted to the fabricated villain.
「Could he be my cause?」
Bang Cheolsoo, his mind made up, stood up and said.
"Prove it to me."
Bang Cheolsoo charged at me, fists pumping. It was a desperate move, like he was throwing his
life away.
But he didn't mean it.
He had made a choice.
Peoeog!
I threw a light punch to the face of the running man.
Bang Cheolsoo let out an exaggerated scream and fell to the ground.
I hadn't hit him that hard, but he was clever.
"H-hyung-nim!"
As the panicked Cheoldoo Group raised their pipes indignantly toward me, Bang Cheolsoo
raised his left hand to wipe his nose.
"Stop."
He looked at me for a long moment, then opened his mouth as if he had been bound by the
punch.
"Now that Cheoldoo hyung-nim is dead, I am the acting leader of the Cheoldoo Group. I decide
who to follow. Do you all have any complaints?"
"W-we have no complaints."
「I wonder why. For the first time, Bang Cheolsoo felt like he was a 'supporting character' instead
of an 'extra'.」
Until now, he was just an extra who lived a few sentences. If the writer wanted him to die, he
died, and if he wanted him to live, he lived.
But today, he used his imagination to think about the future.
[The character 'Bang Cheolsoo' has a faint sense of trust in you.]
[The character 'Bang Cheolsoo' is showing signs of slight evolution.]
Bang Cheolsoo stretched out his hand toward me and asked.
"What's your name?"
I replied, helping such a Bang Cheolsoo to his feet.
"Cheon Inho."
*
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' finds your handling of the situation
interesting.]
[The constellation 'Monarch of the Small Fries' is impressed by the hot noir you showed.]
Monarch of the Small Fries, that bastard was like that in the main story, I don't know what he's
thinking. The incarnation he was raising was given to me, and he's still talking nonsense.
[The constellation 'Monarch of the Small Fries' is sulking because his incarnation has not been
seriously injured.]
I glanced at Bang Cheolsoo, who was leading the way, and hit him in the back of the head.
"Why, why did you do that?"
"There was a bug."
[The constellation 'Monarch of the Small Fries' has sponsored you 100 coins.]
Bang Cheolsoo glanced at me with trembling eyes, then began to lead me two steps ahead.
"There should be a group of people over there."
[There are currently eleven people in Geumho Station who support you.]
I've got the 10 people from the Cheoldoo Group on my side.
This rate was not bad.
It was then that Dansoo ahjussi, who was walking beside me, cautiously asked.
"You're not really Chen Inho, are you?"
I smiled and replied.
"I am, for now."
Dansoo ahjussi sighed lightly at my joke.
He looked at the Cheoldoo Group walking ahead of us and asked in a low voice.
"Will it be all right? You know how those guys are like."
"Earlier, you asked me if I would let everyone die."
"But those guys are...."
I understood what he meant.
I know what the Cheoldoo Group is like. They are the ones who will commit the most heinous
crimes in the future.
The reason I spared them is simple.
「If you're going to use them the same way, there's no point in using them at all.」
"I'm just using them. We need to collect them quickly to reduce unnecessary disturbances at
Geumho Station. If they're going to be enemies, it's easier to keep them under control than to
fight them."
"There they are...."
Looking at Dansoo ahjussi nodding his head in understanding, I suddenly remembered a reader's
comment.
—So he got beaten to death at Geumho Station every time Yoo Joonghyuk regressed?
I looked at the back of Bang Cheolsoo's head, which looked a bit grim, and shook my head.
Forget it. Now is not the time for such complicated thoughts.
If Kim Dokja and the other main characters survived the first scenario, they will come to
Geumho Station.
If Kim Dokja was eaten by the ichtyosaur like in Omniscient Reader, it would be the group and
Yoo Joonghyuk that would arrive here first.
If we wanted to give him a good impression, we'd need to turn this Cheoldoo Group bastards in
the guards of Geumho Station.
Bang Cheolsoo stopped walking.
"We're here."
The survivors of the first scenario gathered in the stairwell.
I took a deep breath and studied their faces, one by one.
This is where my 'rehabilitation project' comes into play.
Even though Cheon Inho was a trashy demagogue villain in the original Omniscient Reader, he
needed to be reformed into a proper human being here.
Okay, I've decided it. First, let's take over Geumho Station.
Next, let's be Yoo Joonghyuk's subordinate.
And then, when Yoo Joonghyuk has had enough of being a sunfish, we'll become Kim Dokja's
men.
"Do you understand unni? Be careful of that man."
The voice came from nowhere, and I reflexively turned around to see a very familiar face.
It was her.
She was at Geumho Station.
But I hadn't expected her to be the first
I ran toward her with excitement.
She is the first sword of the Demon King of Salvation Kim Dokja, and the guardian of Dokja's Company>. Protected by the archangel Uriel, she is one of the strongest characters in Omniscient Reader. Jung Heewon, the Judge of Destruction. After catching my gaze, Jung Heewon looked back at me from afar. I greeted her first. "Hello!" "Oh, yeah... Hi." Jung Heewon acknowledged my greeting with a faint smile. She must have nerves of steel to be able to smile like that even though she had just performed the first scenario. "Which section are you from?" "Oh, we're in the 3-4." "You have... Did something similar happen there?" "Yes." Checking my bloody apron, Jung Heewon looked slightly wary. Just in time, Dansoo ahjussi approached. "My friend and I didn't kill people, we killed other creatures." "Oh, really? Actually, I also...." Jung Heewon stopped talking at that point, glancing around her. But I realized something was wrong. 「Jung Heewon didn't kill people?」 It couldn't be. In the main story, she must have cleared the scenario normally. How the hell did she—? "Excuse me, what's your name? I'm Jung Heewon." "I'm Cheon Inho." For some reason, the moment she heard my name, her face hardened. As she looked at me with her cold eyes, I suddenly remembered something. In the main part of Omniscient Reader, Jung Heewon killed Cheon Inho by stabbing him through the head at Geumho Station. As I was touching the top of my head with a chill, Jung Heewon, who had taken a few steps away from me, spoke to someone. "He showed up just like you said." "Already? Where?" "That guy. But is he the real deal?" "Wow, he looks the part. Wouldn't you know it by looking at him?" "Umm, I'm not sure." Looking closer, there was a girl about a foot shorter than Jung Heewon clinging to her side. "Get a hold of yourself, unni, you shouldn't trust him. What did I say about him earlier? Tell me." Jung Heewon nodded and replied. "Bad guy. The guy to be teared to death. Someone to burn to death with Hellfire." ...Where did I hear that before? Author's Note Thanks.