Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 661

Novel and reality are different.

The first thing Killer King did after waking up inside Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint was to turn images into text.

[Incarnation “Kang Ilhun” activates “Observation Lv.4”!]

He never let himself believe that knowing the future meant control.

Calmly, he stored every scene he observed in his mind—then converted those images into sentences, systemizing them into data.

Read, see, compare.

That was how he built his own vast database.

[Signs of the Fifth Main Scenario have appeared.]

That same database was now warning him.

That thing is dangerous.

Killer King instinctively pulled his sister away from the meteor.

A split, glowing red meteor—he had read about one just like it in the original story.

He couldn’t be sure if the color and shape were identical to what Kim Dokja had seen, but judging from the fissures and the light spilling from them, there was no mistaking it. A monster of Calamity-level had been sealed inside.

Even now, on the brink of disaster, Killer King didn’t stop observing.

First came the stream of green liquid pouring from the meteor.The moment it touched the ground, it began to corrode it.

Acid.

Dense steam hissed upward, and through the fog, something larger than the meteor itself began to rise.

A heavy, thunderous step proved its existence.

Killer King thrust a hand into his jacket and fired a flare into the darkness.

From the black ceiling of the labyrinth, two sharp, blue eyes flashed. A monster easily ten meters tall.

[Grade-5 Venomous Dragon (Fire Dragon class): “Lesser Dragon Poisoner” has appeared!]

A colossal lizard covered in green scales—no weaker than the Grade-5 Fire Dragons mentioned in the main story.

So this was the Misreaders’ plan.

Killer King bit down lightly on his lip.

Their operation was simple:

First, gather all seven Star Jewels into one host and turn that host into a monster.Second, release a Calamity before that monster and let the two annihilate each other.

The fleeing Assassination King had said it himself—if they didn’t funnel the Star Jewels into Cheon Inho, everyone here would die.

Grrroooar!

The dragon’s howl dropped people to their knees.

Apparently a few incarnations hadn’t escaped through the Safe Zones in time.

“What the hell is that?!”“I told you we should’ve left!”“But the Star Jewels—!”

They didn’t seem to belong to either the Alliance or the Apostles.

“Help! Somebody help!”“What is this? There was nothing like this in the scenario description!”

Drifters, unaffiliated small-guild incarnations. Among them fluttered brown and purple banners—the insignias of minor kings.

Killer King’s [Inference] triggered.

They were waiting for a chance. The moment the Alliance retreated, they jumped in.They’re after the Star Jewels. Cooperation—impossible.

He drew a breath and surveyed the terrain.

The reshaped labyrinth had formed a broad clearing centered on the Lesser Dragon Poisoner.Exits existed along the perimeter, but all were sealed behind translucent barriers.

“This side’s blocked too! Damn it!”

Same as the first scenario—a Closed-Zone Scenario.

Killer King was certain.

“A Hidden Scenario’s about to trigger.”

As if on cue, sparks flickered in the air, and a dokkaebi appeared.

[Well now. How troublesome. Summoning a Calamity already?]

Killer King recognized him at once—not a low-rank one like Bihyung, but neatly dressed in a suit, with two short horns curling from his head.

The mid-rank dokkaebi Baul.

He was the one who had meddled with Kim Dokja’s scenarios early on, only to be dragged before the Execution Committee later.

[There have been far too many rowdy incarnations lately, but to pull something like this inside a dungeon… You haven’t even cleared the Fourth Scenario yet! Why awaken a Lesser Calamity?]

Almost identical to his line in the main story.The Calamity was different, but the pattern hadn’t changed.

Baul looked around the battlefield—Cheon Inho, Lee Dansu, Literary Girl 64, Shin Yuseung…

Then his gaze met Killer King’s, and a faint smile curved his lips.

[If everyone dies, that would be boring. I’ll make a few adjustments at my own discretion.]

+

Category: HiddenDifficulty: AObjective: Within the time limit, hunt the Lesser Calamity “Lesser Dragon Poisoner” or survive its attacks.Time Limit: 20 minutesReward: 3,000 coinsFailure: Death

* A Hidden Piece lies concealed within this mission.

+

Exactly the same scenario as the original.

Killer King exhaled in quiet relief.Not the worst outcome—yet.

If not for the fools showing off over there, the situation might have been manageable.

“Attack! All at once, we can bring it down!”“Don’t be afraid! Kill it and we share the Hidden Piece!”

[The King’s Cry boosts the incarnations’ morale!]

A roar of voices, and the mob charged. One reckless fighter even drove his weapon into the dragon’s flank.

“See? It bleeds—”

A casual flick of its tail erased his upper body.The front line folded like straw; torsos hit the ground while legs kept standing.The rear ranks screamed.

“U-uwaaagh!”

Yet some, prepared for sacrifice, pressed forward—the group beneath the purple banner.

“Aim for the weak spots! The eyes and the nose!”

The king hurled a spear wreathed in mana, a classic countermeasure for scaled beasts.If the enemy hadn’t been a Grade-5 monster, Killer King might have applauded.

Ssss-boom!

A spray of green venom poured from the dragon’s mouth.The mana-coated spear melted midair, shaft and all.

The king stumbled back, whispering, “What—”

The acid burst outward, raining down.

“Gyaaaah!”

The king, drenched head-to-toe, screamed as his body dissolved into green sludge in less than ten seconds.

“Run! Get out of here!”

Panic shredded formation; the survivors bolted.

What descended before them was a Calamity—an enemy no human could fight.

[Several constellations chuckle quietly.]

Then a few fleeing incarnations spotted Killer King’s group.

“Hey! What are you doing—help us!”“They’ve got the Star Jewels, don’t they?”“Star Jewels! Hand them over!”

Eat the Jewels, grow stronger.Grow stronger, survive.Maybe even defeat the Calamity.

Even without Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, their thoughts were obvious.

Killer King leveled his crossbow at them.

“No.”

No hesitation, no mercy.His bolts found their marks; the survivors cursed and ran the other way.

He didn’t shoot at those who fled.He needed bait to draw the dragon’s attention.

As the monster shredded them with its claws, Killer King repeated to himself:

I am Yoo Joonghyuk.

That cold clarity had kept him and his sister alive this long—and would continue to.

[A handful of constellations click their tongues at Incarnation “Kang Ilhun’s” cruelty.][Constellation “Demon of Fire’s Judgment” frowns at Incarnation “Kang Ilhun.”]

Cruel or not, he had no choice.That Calamity wasn’t something even foreknowledge could easily defeat.

Unless Kim Dokja himself were here—

Kim Dokja.

His gaze drifted toward the fallen Cheon Inho.

Pale skin, lean frame—otherwise nothing like Kim Dokja.And yet, looking at him kept bringing the man to mind.

“I can do it.”

Brown hair glinted gold. Shin Yuseung’s eyes shimmered.

“Everyone step back. I’ll handle it.”

[Constellation “Demon of Fire’s Judgment” looks at Incarnation “Shin Yuseung.”][Constellation “Prisoner of the Golden Goe” looks at Incarnation “Shin Yuseung.”][Constellation “Sea War God” tilts his head at Incarnation “Shin Yuseung.”][Constellation “Black Flame Dragon of Abyss” watches Incarnation “Shin Yuseung” suspiciously.][Several constellations question Incarnation “Shin Yuseung’s” plausibility.]

As their gazes converged, faint sparks rippled over her body.She winced in pain.

Killer King narrowed his eyes.

“You.”

He had read Omniscient Reader a hundred times.Not merely skimmed—he had dismantled it line by line, tasted every word, memorized every silence.

He imagined the spaces between the lines, intuited what the author had left unwritten.As Yoo Joonghyuk had lived 1,863 lives, Killer King read with the resolve to live a hundred alongside Kim Dokja.

[Incarnation “Kang Ilhun” activates “Observation Lv.4”!]

Because of that, he could recognize it:

The golden glow of her eyes.Growth beyond the third regression.Free control of [Gate].An unnatural calm.

Data filled the lines between lines.Recognized and unrecognized information sorted itself instantly—and he reached a conclusion.

“From now on, what I say is about a certain novel.”

Shin Yuseung turned toward him, eyes trembling.

Killer King continued without meeting her gaze.

“The protagonist of that novel had comrades.”

The dragon’s tail smashed down nearby.He slung Cheon Inho over his shoulder and rolled aside.

The tail spun—same pattern as the Fire Dragon from the original.

“Among them was a regressor.”

He signaled his team and ran counter-clockwise, dodging the sweeping tail.

“There was an excellent tank, a skilled swordsman.An admiral who ruled the sea.A reincarnate who read destiny.”

He glanced back—his sister supporting the limping Lee Dansu.

“There was also a boy who controlled insects—”

Then, at last, his eyes met Shin Yuseung’s.

“—and a girl who could tame beasts.”

A faint radiance wavered in her eyes.

Killer King said quietly, “As far as I know, that story ended.”

“……”

“Then why hasn’t the girl left it yet?”

Shin Yuseung said nothing, as though the world itself forbade the answer.

She only clutched Cheon Inho’s pale hand and repeated, “Mister. Wake up. Please.”

Killer King watched in silence, then turned toward his sister.

“Yerin. Analysis.”

“Same as the main story. A degraded dragon variant.”

“Weakness?”

“It’s poison-type, so earth or fire will work. Every attack that landed had fire-element damage.”

“We go with fire.”

“We’ll need Crimson Flame Pills instead of Azure Ice Pills.”

“We’ll also need Fire Resistance.”

“I have the resistance skill. You get the Flame Pills.”

“Trade the stored Ice Pills for them.”

“Let’s just survive the next phase first.”

They exchanged plans with the speed of breath.Shin Yuseung blinked at the siblings’ efficiency.

[Grade-5 Venomous Dragon “Lesser Dragon Poisoner” prepares “Death’s Red Spider Lily.”]

The dragon reared back, roaring. Red buds sprouted across the ground.

In the main story, the Fire Dragon’s ultimate was “Flame of Destruction.”This one’s wide-area kill skill was “Death’s Red Spider Lily.”

If events followed canon, this phase meant instant death.

Yet Killer King stepped forward without hesitation.

Shin Yuseung caught his wrist.

“Wait.”

“I know you can kill it.”

“……”

“But after you do—can you survive it?”

Even the constellations in the heavens avoided direct interference this early.If she produced a miracle strong enough to fell that Calamity, she wouldn’t survive the backlash.

Killer King gently freed his wrist and nocked an arrow—

“The protagonist of that novel…”

A voice cut through.

He turned in surprise.

Until now, Shin Yuseung hadn’t answered any of his questions—because plausibility itself had denied her the right.

“He was always alone,” she said. “He had so many comrades, but he was always alone.”

Crackling sparks leapt around her. Killer King said nothing, watching.

He had asked why this story still continued.She had just given her answer—in her own way.

Her eyes reddened.

“So he can’t be alone.”

Killer King nodded slowly, a faint smile curving his lips.

“Don’t worry.”

She had seen that expression before—in another man who looked fragile enough to shatter with a touch, yet stood against the end of a world.

A lonely man who fought the story’s ending alone.

“The one who knows this story’s ending…”

Two figures stepped up beside him.

“…isn’t me alone.”