652 Episode 19 People of the Past (4)

I stared at the door created at the end of the waiting room.

There was only one door when there should have been seven.

Is this the original progression of the 41st round of Ways of Survival, or is it because something has changed as I and the readers intervened?

If it was the original development of 'Ways of Survival', it was normal for the 'Ways of Survival' skill to activate at this point. However, the 'Ways of Survival' skill was quiet.

That means that the readers intervened and the scenario changed.

But did the readers I know carelessly intervene in the scenario?

Dansu ahjussi, Kyung Sein, Ye Hyunwoo, Killer King, Literature Girl, Koo Seonah, Kim Kyungsik.

Calmly recalling the list, it never occurred to me that any of them might have been involved in the cataclysm of the scenario.

What readers are ahead of the characters is 'information', and they will not try to change the future too much in order to actively utilize the development of the original story.

In other words, the readers are not the culprits.

If so, who changed the scenario and caused the event of ‘the' collapse of the museum' that did not exist in the original story?

I made a hypothesis.

What if there are people who are at a disadvantage as time goes by when following the development of 'Omniscient Reader'?

Once the hypothesis was established, it felt like the outline of the culprit became clearer.

But it wasn't quite yet certain.

"Ahjussi."

With a trembling voice, Shin Yoosoung joined me.

There were so many corpses on the floor of the waiting room that there was no place to step on.

It seemed that a fight had already taken place.

I wrapped my arms around Shin Yoosoung’s shoulders and walked forward cautiously. I didn't forget to look at the faces of the people around me. I was afraid that there might be a face I knew among them.

Dansu ahjussi.

Kim Kyungsik and Koo Seonah.

And someone I don't know who they possessed, my editor.

In an instant, the back of my neck went cold.

Reflexively, I bent down and wrapped my arms around Shin Yoosoung.

Three daggers grazed my neck and flew to the other side of the waiting room.

When I narrowed my eyes, I saw assassins rising among the corpses.

"Jet, did you miss it?"

They were new hunters.

Instead of entering the dungeon, they hid in the waiting room and killed new recruits.

There were people similar in 'Omniscient Reader'.

Hiding Shin Yoosoung behind me, I activated the tale of the Beggar Sect.

The spirit of the master of Murim rose sharply, and the number of enemies hidden among the corpses were transmitted through my skin.

A number over twenty.

It was a level of troops that could be called a 'small group'.

"Hmm? That kid…"

I could see some of them exchanging whispers, as if they recognized Shin Yoosoung.

I asked Shin Yoosoung in a small voice.

"Are they people you know?"

"Yes."

A small tremor came from Shin Yoosoung, who grabbed my sleeve.

I asked again.

"Looks like people you don’t want to know anymore."

The answer came back after a while.

"....Yes."

I changed 'thought' to 'Broken Faith' in preparation for an emergency.

Meanwhile, the assassins exchanged opinions quickly.

"Could it be that you went through that series of battles alone?"

"Didn’t I tell you? These days, kids are more toxic."

Right.

These people were the adults of the 'union' that tried to put Shin Yoosoung in the group.

One of the assassins, who had been watching us closely, came forward with a dagger.

"You. Do you have a group?"

"I do."

To say that I have no group here would only make me be looked down on by them.

However, even when I said that I had a group, they didn't seem to care.

"You came here by yourself when you have a group?"

"I am confident in my skills."

It was a provocative answer, but several assassins unexpectedly nodded.

"If you came over with a kid, there's a high possibility that you're from a one-person dungeon."

"The single-person dungeon difficulty is more difficult."

"It's worth having as an ally."

The Assassin Leader, who quickly gathered opinions, nodded.

"We respect talented people. Please leave your group and move on to this group."

Suddenly, Shin Yoosoung's words came to mind. If 'union' is unconditionally skill-first, this…

"I'll accept both you and her. It looks like you've developed a special relationship."

Speech that seems to be condescending.

I glared at him with my eyes narrowed.

First of all, it is not a 'reader'.

He was the first person I saw. He must have been one of the extras in 'Ways of Survival'.

His supportive Constellation is...

...Legendary Assassin.

It was a constellation that had never appeared in 'Omniscient Reader'.

Fortunately, the 'Ways of Survival' skill was activated in time.

Huh. Right.

I know who his sponsor is.

I was thinking of saving myself a bit if there was an Myth-grade constellation behind him, but I think I can go out strong with this level.

"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of joining your group."

"Even though we're a group of 'Seoul Gwang'? You've probably heard of the union, right?"

The union.

Could it be that the group that Ye Hyunwoo was talking about were these guys?

I nodded and asked.

"This is where the Tyrant King resides, right?"

The man who subtly frowned at the name of the Tyrant King said.

"We are under the command of the 'Assassin King'."

Assassin King?

There is no such name among the 7 kings of Seoul I know.

"You don't seem to know how big of an opportunity this is, but we will soon retrieve the 'Sword of Death' and obtain the 'Absolute Throne'. I don't know where your group is, but at this point there are no forces greater than ours. You’d better make a wise choice."

I replied with a dry nod.

"I hear you. But it doesn't go below that. I have no intention of fighting, so please pass on your troops."

It was half sincere.

There was a bit of fatigue left after passing through the 'Field of Nagak', and even if it were me, it was not easy to subdue twenty assassins without a single wound. And above all,

Even if I control myself with [Incite], there is a limit. Killing people for whatever reason is never a pleasant experience.

The reason why Kim Dokja at the beginning of Omniscient Reader chose to become the 'King of no killing' seemed to be understood a little now.

Of course, the assassin who didn't even know who Kim Dokja was wasn't going to listen to me.

"Then die here."

I smiled with my eyes wide open.

"No compromise? Aren't we members of society?"

"Society has already perished."

I don't know who is in charge of the alliance, but why did they make all the members of the group look like Kim Namwoon?

"I’m still a member of society."

"Then die as a member of society."

It can't be.

I made a quick calculation in my head.

Should I use [Incite]?

Or, should I start by eliminating that guy with the 'Blade of Faith'?

As I secretly tried to carry out a strategy with a way to wipe out these people at once without hurting Shin Yoosoung, Shin Yoosoung pulled my sleeves.

"Ahjussi."

Looking back, Shin Yoosoung's eyes shimmered with golden energy. My head throbbed, and a sense of dizziness passed through my head.

I think something similar happened before.

"I'll just finish it."

Why? At that moment, Shin Yoosoung seemed like a completely different person from the Shin Yoosoung I knew.

"Finish it... how?"

"Therefore…"

It was then that a roar rang out from inside the waiting room.

"Get out of the way!"

Suddenly, the door to the waiting room opened. A crowd poured out.

"What…"

With a booming sound, the assassin's head shattered. The astonished assassins screamed.

"What, what is it?"

The assassins wandered around and raised their swords.

But whenever the sound of wind was heard in the air, the number of assassins was steadily decreasing. The awe-inspiring assassins clung to the walls and shouted loudly.

"Who! Who dares-"

A series of group members appeared through the pouring pit.

Leading the group members was a giant.

There was an iron pipe embracing the dazzling light of the giant's fish, and at a glance it was an S-class item.

"King of gangsters!"

King of gangsters?

No matter how much I searched in my head, there was no king with such a nickname.

I was nervous and watched the development of the situation. Looking closely, the wind was blowing from the right side of the group.

Four kitchen knives that moved in a zigzag pattern cut through the air.

"Ah! Heartless Mother!"

Heartless Mother. This was also the first time I had ever heard this nickname. A dazzling passing technique performed by a mother and daughter each holding a pair of kitchen knives. It was a terrifying sight just to look at from a distance.

However… What?

I was used to the mother and daughter's faces.

“Inhopa group! Inhopa is back!"

Inhopa?

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-"

A few terrified assassins tried to run screaming into the dungeon, but their lives were lost.

Now, the number of assassins left in the waiting room was less than five.

The assassin who was threatening me earlier growled.

"King of gangsters! We are an alliance. Do you think you'll be safe after doing this to us?"

"If you all die, who will know what I did?"

"Ooh, there are those who watched us suffer."

Then, the gangster king's party looked around the edge of the waiting room.

Some of the incarnations who watched the situation with a bonfire were there.

"Are you going to tell about it?"

The incarnations all shook their heads at the gangster king's despair.

"We didn't see anything."

"Yes, you guys-"

Before the bewildered assassin could shout anything, an iron pipe shattered his head.

Watching the assassin collapse powerlessly, the king of gangsters spat out curse words.

"Eh, wicked bastards."

"Looking at it, it seems that he was persecuting newcomers again."

"Anyway, that's what all the alliance scum do."

I was honestly surprised. Anyway, I heard that the 'Union' is the strongest force at the moment.

But is there a rebel group that fights against the alliance with only a single force?

I saw the gangster king who spotted us and was approaching us.

"Boss, are you okay?"

It was difficult to immediately recognize his face as it was soaked in blood, but the man's long, rough, all-back hair caught my eye immediately.

When I saw it up close, I laughed out loud.

No wonder. So, was it Inhopa?

"Uh?"

The gangster king, who had approached us, opened his eyes wide at me. I was wrong in my guess that he was a person who did not appear in the 'Omniscient Reader'.

Because the man was someone I already knew.

A person who changed the scenario but is neither a reader nor a member of the Misreading association.

In 'Omniscient Reader', he was just an extra villain, let alone a king, and a man who died tragically as a petty gangster.

"It’s you, bro?"

I nodded and replied.

"Bang Cheolsoo."

The action leader of Geumho Station.

People who knew me came running to welcome me. Incarnations of Geumho Station, including Dayoung and Dayoung's mother.

Those who had killed each other for their own safety now formed a group to help the weak.

Once again, I realized that this story is not the 'Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint' that I knew.

Shin Yoosoung, who was standing next to me, was looking at the same scenery with blank eyes.

"Brother! Uuuuuuuuu! You’re alive!"

"Inho ahjussi."

Looking at Dayoung and her mother waving their hands and people shouting at me, I thought about the story.

"Do you know how much we found!"

I no longer believe that stories can keep world peace like my parents said.

No matter how many funny stories there are in the world, people will still start a war and hate someone.

But, nonetheless, I continue to think.

Because at least someone reads the story and changes.