Chapter 361: Episode 68 – Inaudible Words (1)
(TL Note: This is the first chapter that uses female terms when referring to Jang Hayoung. Perhaps it is because it is from Jang Hayoung’s perspective? Jang Hayoung’s gender is still ambigious to me but I will be using female terms for her here).
Jang Hayoung moved through the forest of the small island and was reminded of Kim Dokja’s words.
-You are the hidden card of this scenario.
Before the scenario started, Kim Dokja had called Jang Hayoung separately. Jang Hayoung suddenly heard those words and was embarrassed.
‘...He hasn’t been interested in me so far.’
Jang Hayoung was sad. No matter how much time he spent with the other party members, Kim Dokja neglected Jang Hayoung. Three years after the end of the Revolutionary Game or the Demon King Selection. Jang Hayoung had long felt alienated. It felt like she had been excluded from all the main scenarios.
-Why didn’t you ask me to join Kim Dokja’s Company?
This was the most disturbing thing. She wanted to ask. Why didn’t Kim Dokja invite her to join the nebula? Perhaps she was forgotten...
[The Unidentified Wall says, “Don’t trust Kim Dokja too much.”]
“Shut up.”
[The Unidentified Wall says, “He is just using you.]
Maybe this really was the case. Kim Dokja was the most practical person Jang Hayoung knew. Nevertheless, Jang Hayoung replied, “Kim Dokja isn’t such a person. Why do you hate Kim Dokja?”
[The Unidentified Wall asks, “Do you want to be friends with him?”]
“It would be good if we were friendly... We haven’t talked much lately.”
[The ‘Unidentified Wall’ asks, “Why? Do you like him?”]
“I like who I like.” Jang Hayoung replied bluntly and bit her lips. “My favourite is the Demon King of Salvation.”
[The Unidentified Wall is looking at you. “That’s him.”]
“It is different! In any case, I just want to get along with him.”
[The Unidentified Wall is sighing. “Even if he kills you one day?”]
“Why are you saying such ominous things?”
The Unidentified Wall had never liked Kim Dokja. It was from the first time it met Kim Dokja all the way to the present.
“Don’t get in my way. Last time, I didn’t get a giant story because of you.”
The giant story that told of the victory in Gigantomachia, Torch That Swallowed the Myth. Jang Hayoung had watched through the screen and was overwhelmed, moved and finally sad.
She thought she should’ve been there. She should’ve hurled herself into that blazing flame. She should’ve been part of the giant story. Yet she couldn’t.
[The Unidentified Wall says, “Trusting people will only make you disappointed. You have suffered enough in your last life.”]
She had no confidence. Would the torch have gone out if she jumped in? What if the giant story was ruined with her involvement? What if Kim Dokja didn’t want her involvement?
Jang Hayoung was different from the other party members. She was a resident of the Demon World and came to Earth. She wasn’t a companion who fought with Kim Dokja since the first scenario. Thus, she couldn’t say that she wanted to go together with him.
There was an insurmountable wall between them. It was a wall that couldn’t be reached no matter how she tried. Jang Hayoung didn’t have a history to share with them.
“This way! Just a bit more!”
“Heewon-ssi, please give me Gilyoung. I’ll take him.”
“It’s okay! I still have enough stamina left.”
Voices were heard in the distant bushes. Jang Hayoung reflexively hid herself behind a tree. A wounded man and woman were running while carrying a child on each of their backs. They were people Jang Hayoung knew.
Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung. The two of them were being chased by monsters. They were followed by half a dozen orcs and two trolls.
Based on the direction, they seemed to be moving across the field o the source of the smoke. It was the wrong choice. The direction they were heading in had more fearsome monsters than orcs and trolls. If this continued, they would be wiped out.
Jang Hayoung reflexively clenched her fists and got up. To be exact, she tried to get up.
[The Unidentified Wall says, “Don’t save them.”]
“What? What nonsense is this?”
[The Unidentified Wall says, “If they die here, you can be Kim Dokja’s only friend.]
At almost the same time, the running Jung Heewon tripped over a stone and fell. Jung Heewon and Lee Gilyoung fell onto the ground. The orc close behind them raised a glaive. It was too late to evade.
Jung Heewon shouted, “Gilyoung! Run!”
Jang Hayoung looked at the falling glaive and thought. Maybe the Unidentified Wall was right. If these people died here...
-Thank you.
The conversation she had with Kim Dokja before coming here flashed in her mind.
-For what?
-The words you said at that time.
Kim Dokja muttered with his usual distant face.
-You said it. Even if the other side of the wall can’t hear it... still, leave something on the wall.
Jang Hayoung had wondered. Did she say that? When?
...Was she drunk?
Kim Dokja continued.
-Thus, I’m doing it. As you said, one day somebody might look at the traces on the wall.
Jang Hayoung could see Jung Heewon closing her eyes as the glaive fell. Lee Hyunsung was shouting something while Jung Heewon covered Lee Gilyoung. By the time she came to her senses, Jang Hayoung was already running.
[Your new attribute is preparing to bloom.]
Her fist stretched out. The orc’s glaive broke like straw before her transcendent fist. Jung Heewon stared up at her with wide eyes.
Jang Hayoung looked down at this person and thought. ‘Fool...’
Kim Dokja wouldn’t recognize their feelings. The Demon King of Salvation was a demon king, not a god. He would have no interest in what they did. However, just because it couldn’t be communicated didn’t mean their hearts weren’t there.
Jang Hayoung stood as if guarding the party members and said, “Leave it to me from now on.”
It wasn’t too late to make history from now on.
She still had a lot of time.
***
I breathed out and opened my eyes.
[Exclusive skill, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint stage 3 has been turned off.]
[Exiting the third person viewpoint.]
Fortunately, Jang Hayoung met with some of our companions. I was nervous that she would be delayed but luckily, it went according to plan. They met with Jang Hayoung and now they would be safe.
I raised my stiff body and reconfirmed the message in front of me.
[You have earned the right to use the skill Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint as a reward for clearing the hidden scenario.]
It wasn’t possible to use skills on Reincarnation Island. The story was different after completing the hidden scenario, Survival Game.
[The exclusive skill ‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’ is fixed at the lowest level.]
[A system error has occurred. There is no level concept for this skill.]
[This skill isn’t affected by the first generation probability.]
At first, I thought it would be better to get the license for Bookmark. Then I thought about it and Bookmark was a skill that borrowed other people’s skills.
In other words, if I got a license for Bookmark but no additional license for the other person’s skill, Bookmark would be useless.
It was an island with too many constraints but it couldn’t be helped. The thing I needed to go on this island was more important than skills.
I heard Lee Jihye’s voice in the distance. “Great Great Master!”
It was already the second day. Lee Jihye was chasing One Invincible Fist Yoo Hosung around. “Great Great Master! Please tell me that story!”
It was the same with Yoo Hosung gave a cow food.
“Just one phrase! I can really learn well.”
Lee Jihye annoyed Yoo Hosung even when doing his laundry or cutting firewood.
“How did you do that yesterday? You stretched out your fist and his head exploded!”
Of course, Yoo Hosung didn’t say anything. I thought it wouldn’t be easy to learn Story Control. it took a long time for Kyrgios and the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint to learn this technique.
Story Control. It was the name of a pure technique, not a skill or stigma. There were many explanations for it in Ways of Survival but I didn’t know it precisely because there were many voices. Thus, I was actually a bit worried.
[The giant story ‘Torch That Swallowed the Myth’ is growling.]
...I had to do something about this brat soon.
It was this evening that Yoo Hosung first became irritated. “Stop chasing me. In addition, why I am your Great Great Master?”
“Well... you are the master of my master’s teacher!”
I smiled as I heard Lee Jihye’s words. It was true. Lee Jihye’s master was Yoo Jonghyuk, Yoo Jonghyuk’s master was the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint and the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint’s master was One Invincible Fist Yoo Hosung.
Yoo Hosung stared at Lee Jihye and sighed. “It isn’t something you can learn. Those like you who are accustomed to the system won’t see any effect, even if you train for 100 days.”
“You taught Great Master!”
“They were transcendents without any sponsors. They are different from you.”
It was a sober refusal.
“You never know! I’ll do exactly as you tell me!”
“Your position is wrong from the beginning. This isn’t something you can learn just be doing as I say. Have you felt nothing while following me for two days?”
Yoo Jonghyuk’s great master (they even had the same surname) gave an unlucky smile. In fact, I knew. Yoo Hosung was testing us the whole time.
“Haven’t you heard anything here?”
Lee Jihye and I looked at the surrounding scenery at the same time. The man cleaning up the pig’s poop stared at me, like he was asking what I was looking at.
[The story ‘Master of Cleaning Defecation’ is determined to live happily today.]
The woman harvesting the crops was drinking rice wine while humming a song.
[The story ‘Master of Labour’ is humming while helping its master’s work.]
The old man carrying the axe sighed and sat down on the ground.
[The story ‘Millennium Woodcutter’ is saying that young people these days don’t know how to respect adults.]
There were no great stories. They were stories made by cleaning up animal poop, singing while working or cutting wood. These stories were different from other stories that I knew. There was a strange harmony in the stories.
They felt different from the stories seeking power or the stories that tried to dominate their master. An ensemble of one story and one being created over many years.
Yoo Hosung said, “It takes 10 years, 100 years, 1000 years to obtain only one sentence. Those are real stories.”
Real stories. It was an interesting expression.
“Don’t you have stories? Train well in that method. It is useless to learn other stories now.”
“But... I can’t become as strong as you.”
“That depends on what you do. The important thing is to look at the story correctly.”
“Look at it correctly?”
“A story that is too big makes it impossible to know the direction of the story.”
I had heard such cryptic words before. Was it from Lycaon when learning Way of the Wind? I had this thought and suddenly started to worry. Could I learn Story Control when I couldn’t even learn Way of the Wind? I was troubled when hearing people talk about talent.
Yoo Hosung sighed and opened his mouth again. “Phew, these damn kids. I’ll tell you just once.”
At these words, Lee Jihye sat in front of him like a demure student. I also approached and listened to his story. “What do you think is a story?”
Lee Jihye rolled her eyes and answered, “Um... a tale?”
“Pitiful.”
“Don’t just scold me. Let me know!”
“I have to explain from the basics.” Yoo Hosung clicked his tongue and raised his left hand. “What do you call this?”
“...Left hand?”
Yoo Hosung raised his opposite hand. Then what about this?”
“Right hand.”
“Then what about when they are joined together?”
Lee Jihye pondered for a moment before answering. “Two hands?”
Then the story replied on behalf of Yoo Hosung.
[The story ‘Ambidextrous Boxer’ is having fun.]
“Yes, this leads to the words ‘two hands.’ Many people call it a ‘relationship’. They perceive it as a similar form.”
Lee Jihye had a blank expression. It was an expression that showed she didn’t understand. Yoo Hosung spoke like he knew. “If so, what would you call this?”
Yoo Hosung grabbed the twig on the ground with his left hand and asked, “One is the left hand and one is a twig. What would you call them if they are tied together?”
“Um... a left hand holding a twig? Or left hand and twig?”
I felt a cool sensation.
“It isn’t easy. Do you know why?”
Lee Ji-hye shook her head. Yoo Hosung said, “There is no correct relationship between the two. Whether it is left hand and twig or left hand holding a twig, it isn’t something that falls naturally. It is awkward.”
Yoo Hosung held the twig like a dart and threw it at a tree far away. The twig flew quickly and stuck into a tree. It looked natural, like it was originally part of the tree.
“It is the story that narrows that awkward distance. It connects the most distant things in the world. If you want to control the story, you have to make sure to understand the story.”
It was a seemingly confusing explanation. Lee Jihye stared at the twig on the tree blankly. I carefully picked up a stone that was rolling on the ground. The power to connect the most distant things in the world... it was difficult.
Yoo Hosung saw my actions and clicked his tongue. “Stupid guy. I just gave an example. A relationship can’t be made and a story generated by holding something! It takes a long time to narrow the distance between the materials and yourself...!”
The next moment, something strange happened.
[The full probability of the first generation is responding to your actions.]
[The story material has an affinity for you.]
The stone in the hand looked up at me in a pleasant manner.
[The story ‘The Stone and I’ has begun.]
Yoo Hosung stared at me with a dumbfounded expression and his lips trembled. “You, what the hell are you?”