"They say there's nothing ahead."
Thanks to the cockroaches' forewarning of danger, we were able to move at a faster pace than
before.
Kyung Sein said admiringly.
"The cockroaches are so OP."
"What's OP?"
"That... It's too good, so maybe your sponsor is more useful than I thought?"
[The constellation 'Sneaking Schemer' grumbles asking 'Did you realize that just now?']
Things certainly weren't bad.
At this point, Dansoo ahjussi could easily play the role of Lee Gilyoung in the main story. We walked for about ten minutes.
He stopped for the first time.
"There's something up ahead."
We gasped in unison.
A few cockroaches scurried toward him, their antennae twitching violently.
"I think it's one ground rat."
I didn't think there were ground rats in this section.
I thought for a moment and said.
"Let's wait, maybe it's one that got separated from the mischief and is wandering around."
I didn't want to risk an encounter. We waited, hiding ourselves.
1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes.
The ground rat showed no sign of going away.
Dansoo ahjussi looked a little tired, as if he'd used [Diverse Communication] too many times in
such a short period of time.
"What shall we do?"
Oksu Station was just around the corner. It would be a shame to turn back here.
"Let's catch it, it's only one."
Kyung Sein suggested first.
"We have to fight at some point, and we can't go through the scenario without catching one. It's a
monster that Yoo Sangah and Lee Gilyoung also caught, so let's not be scared."
Turns out she was right.
Lightly stretching her shoulders and neck, Kyung Sein continued.
"If you have any useful skills, show them all instead of hiding them. For reference, I have
[Average Correction]."
As expected, I thought that if she was a complete reader, she would have at least one hidden
hand.
By the way, [Average Correction].
It's a skill that wasn't detailed in Omniscient Reader, but I remembered setting it up.
"It's a little tricky to explain, but if you raise one of your stats, the rest of your stats will be
corrected to 70% of your highest stats. For example, if you raise your physique level to 10, you'll
have a performance level of 7 without leveling up strength or agility."
"Huh, that's a pretty cool skill."
It was definitely a powerful skill. It meant that from now on, Kyung Sein could go all-in on just
one main stat.
In the early stages, when coins are hard to come by for stats, there's no better skill.
"I only have the [Diverse Communication] I showed you earlier.... What about my mate?"
I checked my skills one by one.
[⬜⬜]
[Character List]
[Incite]
These were the only three skills I knew.
Sometimes I hear a character's inner thoughts, so I think there's a skill that's similar to
[Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint], but I haven't figured out how to activate it yet.
"Unfortunately, my skills are all related to inciting through speech. As you can see, it's Cheon
Inho."
"Phew, it can't be helped, but it's not a bad situation. There are three of us and one of it, so on the
signal of one, two, three, we'll all run and beat it up."
"Let's be careful not to get hurt."
We looked at each other and cautiously approached the ground rat. We must have taken thirty steps.
The shadow of a monster emerged from the darkness.
「The size of a fully-grown wolf. A mole-like creature with developed forepaws.」
There was no mistaking it.
It was a 9th grade underground species, the ground rat.
But... Was it that big?
"Uh, wait a minute."
Kyung Sein also stopped walking as if she noticed something strange.
Kooooo.
An ominous howl.
A pair of yellow eyes glowed in the darkness, and a boar-like creature charged toward us. The
ground rumbled lightly, and stones bounced off the bottom of the track.
The frail Kim Dokja had actually caught a monster like this?
"Hiyoooop!"
Dansoo ahjussi let out a strange shout and swung his pipe in an excited gesture.
But his weak pipe grazed the ground rat's face and bounced off.
"Ahjussi!"
Dansoo ahjussi barely rolled out of the way of the collision.
I was next.
Come.
Despite this, my strength level is 10. There's no way I can't catch a monster that even a kid like
Lee Gilyoung could catch.
I swung the pipe with all my might, but it missed. The moment the blow hit, the ground rat
quickly lowered its head.
Oops.
I spun around and landed on my butt. When I quickly raised my head, the ground rat was running past me toward the target. It had
instinctively chosen the weakest-looking prey among us.
"Sein-ssi!"
The terrified Kyung Sein held up her pipe, her arms shaking.
"Uh, Uwaaaak!"
Throwing the pipe, Kyung Sein turned around and started running.
"What are you doing! Catch it!"
"H-How can I catch something like that!"
What a difference between fiction and reality.
Is that really the same beast that Yoo Sangah and Lee Gilyoung fought?
Kyung Sein, who was running fast, tripped over the tracks and fell. The ground rat didn't miss
the opportunity, howled, and hit her. With a thud, she bounced off and hit the wall of the train tracks.
I thought she was dead, but to my surprise, Kyung Sein staggered to her feet.
"Uaaaa! It hurts! It hurts!"
The reason was obvious.
Kyung Sein had gone all-in on her physique.
Just as I had invested my coins in strength, she had invested all of her coins in physique.
"Don't run, pick up your weapon! Over here! You bastard!"
[The exclusive skill 'Incite Lv.2' is activated.]
I activated [Incite] half-heartedly, and it turned to look in my direction. It didn't seem to
understand me, but at least I'd turned off its aggression. With Kyung Sein haphazardly picking up her weapon, Dansoo ahjussi and I formed a chaotic
formation.
Luckily, the ground rat only let out a snarl and didn't try to charge again.
"You said you were going to be a man worthy of Heewon-ssi."
"Heewon-nim is strong, I can help her as a wife!"
"You've killed people, you can't just run away like that."
I wish I hadn't said that.
Pale and fed up, Kyung Sein asked.
"I killed a man? Who told you that?"
"Heewon-ssi."
"I... I just closed my eyes and finished the kid Heewon-nim left half dead."
As I watched Kyung Sein's shaking hand holding the pipe, it all made sense.
That was why Jung Heewon had such a strong expression on her face.
"If you really don't want to die, make up your mind."
The plan was a complete failure.
There was no way an ordinary reader in real life could possess someone in a novel and suddenly
start acting like Kim Dokja.
「I wonder how many of them survived.」
Just as the sudden anxiety was taking over my mind, Dansoo ahjussi called out to me in a
trembling voice.
"I-Inho-ssi."
The ground rat that had been confronting us had four eyes now.
Damn.
He'd called for his colleague.
"Turn around."
We started running toward Geumho Station. But the chasing ground rats were faster.
"Ahjussi! Hurry!"
Dansoo ahjussi, who has relatively low physique and strength, lagged behind. I slowed down a
bit to keep pace with him.
That's when I heard a squeak. I looked to the side and saw a ground rat nibbling at the hem of my
clothes.
It seemed to be bleeding profusely.
I couldn't believe I was going to die like this, not from a monster, but from an earth rat. At the
same time, I realized that I wanted to write a novel about this story.
「The Ultimate Omniscient Reader Party. Wiped out by a 9th grade underground species, the
ground rat.」
But who would read such a novel?
I let out a shout and smashed the ground rat's head with my pipe. But its grip was stronger than I
thought.
"Ahjussi! Run! Come on!"
I can't take on both of them with all my might now. It's even more impossible for me alone.
At least I can buy some time.
[The exclusive skill 'Incite Lv.2' is strongly activated!]
My skill once again drew the attention of the ground rats.
I gripped the pipe with both hands like a baseball bat and slammed it into the side of one of
them. It squirmed in pain and fell from me.
The problem was the other one.
In an ominous flash of foreboding, a large shadow leaped up behind me. It was too late to react.
"Get out of the way!"
With a sharp voice, a pipe flew out of nowhere and pierced the ground rat's eye.
Kuaaaak!
The sharpened end of the pipe went straight through the ground rat's skull and out the other side.
The pipe was pulled straight out and left an efficient trajectory toward the second ground rat.
I knew the identity of that trace.
A skill that was dismissed as insignificant in Omniscient Reader.
[Kendo(劍道)]
However, there were some characters who practiced it to the limit and finally slit the throats of
demons.
The flowing trace of the pipe sliced through the head of the staggering second ground rat.
[Demon Slaying(鬼殺)].
As it collapsed, the red glow extinguished from its eyes as it looked at me.
"I knew this would happen."
Last time, I thought I couldn't help it even if Ji Eunyoo teased me. This time, I thought I might
actually fall in love with her.
"Are you okay?"
It was Jung Heewon.
*.
"Sniff sniff, Heewon unni, I mean, it was so hard for us."
Kyung Sein held on to Jung Heewon and sobbed for a long time. I thought I was really going to
die. Why did she come now?
"Thanks to you, I'm alive. I didn't know they were so strong...."
Dansoo ahjussi also thanked her, exhausted
I did the same.
"You saved my life, you really put up a good fight."
"Are your wounds okay?"
"Yes. It's nothing, thankfully."
Luckily, the ground rat's teeth had only scratched my side.
Still, if Jung Heewon hadn't come, I would have died there.
I completely miscalculated our power. I didn't expect the readers party to be so crappy.
"I came here because I was worried. I saw two weak men and a small girl leaving as a scouting
party..... I was honestly nervous."
Apparently, Jung Heewon was the only one who objectively grasped our party's strength.
However, the previous battle was surprising even when I thought about it again.
Jung Heewon was this strong.
[The exclusive skill 'Character List' is activated!]
+
Name: Jung Heewon
Age: 27 years old
Sponsor: None (Two constellations are currently showing interest in this person.)
Exclusive Attributes: Crouching Figure (Common)
Exclusive Skills: [Demon Slaying Lv.1], [Kendo Lv.1]
Stigma: None
Overall Stats: [Physique Lv.5], [Strength Lv.6], [Agility Lv.7], [Magic Power Lv.4]
Overall Evaluation: She's a 'Crouching Figure' with enormous potential. The attribute
information isn't verified yet because the attribute hand't blossomed. She currently has a faint
faith in you.
+
I can't believe that 'Cheon Inho' is trusted by Jung Heewon.
Life really is hard to understand.
"But why did you move in such a hurry?"
Jung Heewon's question made Kyung Sein and Dansoo ahjussi look at me at the same time.
"Because we have to rescue the survivors."
"Survivors?"
"There's someone I know near Oksu Station."
Jung Heewon nodded as if she understood.
"I see. Your parents, your family?"
"If I had to say... They're like family."
Kyung Sein and Dansoo ahjussi looked at me and nodded.
Jung Heewon said.
"If that's the case, I'll help you too."
"I'd really appreciate it."
I thought it would be okay to go with Jung Heewon. She was going to be a main member of Kim
Dokja's Company, so there was no harm if she accompanied us in advance.
However, there was something I needed to do before I left again.
I looked down at the bodies of the two fallen ground rats.
"Hmm? What are you going to do?"
There were two main reasons why our party was so unsuccessful.
One, the lack of main combat skills, and two.
"Let's make weapons."
As if something had come to their mind, Kyung Sein and Dansoo ahjussi jumped out of their
seats.
It must have been the development of the main story.
However, Kyung Sein's expression brightened for a moment, and then quickly darkened.
"But... Inho-ssi."
"Yes."
"Do you know how to do it?"
That was the problem.
*
"Ground rat's spine sword! Ground rat's spine sword!"
Kyung Sein had been repeating the words like a mantra for several minutes now, holding the
head of a ground rat.
Dansoo ahjussi asked.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to do something."
I think she has watched too many cartoons.
I left Kyung Sein alone and took out the knife I had borrowed from the Cheoldoo Group earlier.
Then I used Incite on myself.
[The exclusive skill 'Incite Lv2' is activated!]
「This isn't gross at all. I'm a professional butcher.」
I grabbed the ground rat by the head and started tearing off its skin. Honestly, I was worried
because I've never done any butchering before, but it wasn't as hard as I thought.
Upon closer inspection, I realized that the skin had a dotted line along the spine. Like a creature
made to be cut along the dotted line.
I thought that this was enough for people who hadn't read 'Ways of Survival' like Kim Dokja,
then I turned to the side and saw Kyung Sein and Dansoo ahjussi gagging.
Oh well, that's normal.
Jung Heewon, on the other hand, stuck to my side and watched the whole grooming process with
interest.
"Where did you learn to do this?"
"Self-taught."
"Wow...."
My shoulders got tense for no reason.
I must be pretty talented, right? Jung Heewon added with a wry smile.
"But since you're self-taught, you're not very good at it."
"Don't bully me."
I grunted for about twenty minutes. With a snap, the first ground rat's spine was cleanly separated.
Dansoo ahjussi was impressed.
"Now that's a convincing one."
Even in their natural state, the vertebrae of ground rats resembled a sword. Indeed, a creature that
defied evolutionary odds to have a spine made by a single bone.
"This is for Heewon-ssi."
"Really? Can I take it?"
"Because you're our team's biggest power."
Jung Heewon was a monster who could beat two ground rats with a pipe, and then I gave her a
ground rat knife?
It's only a matter of catching the bus from now on.
"Ah... Thank you."
Jung Heewon accepted the knife as if she was embarrassed, and then examined the front and
back of the knife for a long time.
"Suddenly I feel like I'm back in the Paleolithic age."
I stopped and looked up. I thought it sounded familiar, but then I realized it was a line from
Omniscient Reader.
I hesitated for a moment.
「May I answer?」
I inhaled lightly, then spoke in a somewhat theatrical tone.
"You need to grind it a bit more for it to be useful. There are rocks around so skillfully grind the
blade."
"Huh, understood, Captain."
Originally, this conversation had been between Kim Dokja and Jung Heewon.
Kyung Sein, who came up behind them, scolded me with a whisper.
"Don't you think you're getting too close to Heewon-nim?"
"Well, someone has to look out for her. Until we meet Kim Dokja."
As I said that, my heart gradually grew heavy.
I wondered if I could do as much as Kim Dokja did. Would I be able to help Jung Heewon survive in this world?
"By the way, there's a problem. Heewon-nim won't be able to grow as fast as things are going
now."
As if reading my mind, Kyung Sein whispered.
"You remember that? Heewon-nim, gets stronger for real after her awakening as the 'Judge of
Destruction'. At this rate, even if we meet the real Kim Dokja, Heewon-nim may not be as active
as she was in the main novel."
That's right.
Jung Heewon's strongest skill is [Hour of Judgement].
In order to obtain it, she must become the 'Judge of Destruction'.
However, there are two prerequisites for her to do so.
One is that she is subjected to brutal violence by the Cheoldoo Group.
And two.
"In order for Heewon-nim to awaken as in the original, Cheon Inho-ssi must die."
My death.
Author's Note
There's 2 chapters today.