Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint – Side Story - Chapter 12
——————
NOVELMX.COM
Join our Discord for release updates!
——————
Chapter 12. Protagonist(?) (2)
Wait, how many?
+
― Choose your sponsor.
― Your chosen sponsor will become your reliable supporter.
1. Monarch of the Small Fries
2. Dragon Lying Down
3. Sneaking Schemer
…
+
I blinked my eyes in confusion.
Did this many apply to be my supporter?
Where did the rumors spread?
[Constellations are awaiting your selection.]
I don’t know.
First, let’s see who applied and evaluate from there.
There are many applicants, and they may not be worthy.
The first one is ‘Monarch of the Small Fries.’
I expected this Constellation.
In the main story of Omniscient Reader, he was the sponsor behind the acting leader on Geumho Station, ‘Bang Cheolsoo’.
However, his presence disappeared after the early stages.
In other words, he wasn’t worth considering.
[Constellation ‘Monarch of the Small Fries’ is eyeing you.]
The second is the ‘Dragon Lying Down.’
The true identity of this Constellation is a Crouching Dragon (臥龍), ‘Zhuge Liang.’
Among the prominent Constellations, his abilities were outstanding.
Although he admired my assassination strategy, unfortunately, I had no intention of choosing a prominent one at this point.
[The constellation ‘Dragon Lying Down’ is frowning.]
Next is… huh?
For a moment, I was startled because I misread the modifier.
The third one is the ‘Sneaking Schemer.’
I thought it was the ‘Secretive Plotter.’
Is it a knockoff?
Upon careful consideration, I couldn’t recall a Constellation with such a modifier.
[The constellation ‘Sneaking Schemer’ says he’s very strong and confidently suggests choosing him.]
Watching him speak, he is not even worthy of modifiers.
I wonder if he’s actually copying the ‘Secretive Plotter’.
‘Secretive Plotter’ is an exceptional case, but as Kim Dokja says, it’s unlikely that a constellation with such a poor modifier is a strong one.
+
4. Abyssal Black Flame Dragon
+
Without realizing it, I held my breath.
Who?
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon came after hearing about you.]
Abyssal Black Flame Dragon.
In the main story of Omniscient Reader, he was the sponsor of ‘Black Flames Demon Ruler Han Sooyoung’ and one of the ‘First Four’ of Bihyung’s channel.
Seeing that modifier after a long time, I felt somewhat happy amidst all this.
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ urges you to decide quickly.]
But come to think of it, this guy has confronted Kim Namwoon, Han Sooyoung, Kim Dokja, and Yoo Jonghyuk.
Then, does that mean I’m also a main character?
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is cancelling his ‘Sponsor Selection’.]
[The choices for sponsor selection has reduced to 9.]
Impatient kid.
I didn’t mind since I had no intention of choosing him anyway.
There are still six more to go.
Anyway, since I had no intention of choosing that guy, I didn’t feel regretful.
There are still six more to go.
+
5. Nail-Eating Rat
+
I suddenly regretted rejecting Black Flame Dragon.
+
6. Primordial Cow
7. Rice Cake-Eating Tiger
+
Not yet.
There are still three more.
+
8. Pig Living in a Brick House
9. Dog Who Threw Himself into the Flames
+
What on earth is happening?
Don’t tell me there’s some kind of ‘zodiacal pickup only’ event.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and silently chanted my own good luck spell.
“I am Kim Dokja.”
Then, I checked the last Constellation.
+
10. ???
+
Three question marks?
Can something like this be a modifier?
Just as I was thinking about it, a lightning bolt flashed in my head and the scene of a dark theater came to mind.
“What is the identity of the Constellation marked as ‘???’ in Omniscient Reader?”
Sure enough, the question had come up in [Kim Dokja’s Banquest] before.
I also knew the answer to the question.
In the entire Omniscient Reader, there was only one constellation with the modifier ‘???’
He is the most powerful being, overseeing everything in this universe.
He is the sponsor behind the regressor Yoo Joonghyuk, who only seeks the next story.
[A constellation who hasn’t revealed their modifier is looking at you.]
The protagonist of ‘The Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’
I looked up at the ceiling with trembling eyes.
“The oldest dream.”
*
In Omniscient Reader, the entity referred to as the ‘oldest dream’ is divided into two.
One is the ‘young Kim Dokja’ who appears at the beginning of the novel.
The second is the ‘adult Kim Dokja’ who inherits the modifier later in the novel.
Unless I’m being fooled by a high-level trick, this is clearly the beginning of the novel.
Above all, the presence of Bihyung and the existence of ‘Daepong Girls High School’ Lee Jihye confirm this fact.
If it was after the end of the main story of ‘Omniscient Reader’, there was no way Bihyung or Lee Jihye would have appeared like this.
“In that case, is ‘???’ the ‘young Kim Dokja’?”
But come to think of it, that doesn’t make sense.
Throughout the progression of ‘Omniscient Reader,’ ‘young Kim Dokja’ rarely interfered in the story except for regressing Yoo Junghyuk.
He probably doesn’t even realise he’s a god.
And now he’s making me a ‘Sponsor Application’, a man who doesn’t even appear in ‘Ways of Survival’?
Even when he’s already Yoo Joonghyuk’s sponsor?
“In that case, is ‘???’ the ‘adult Kim Dokja’?”
Thinking that way also didn’t make sense.
At the end of Omniscient Reader, the ‘adult Kim Dokja’ had his soul split into molecules and scattered into the universe.
[A constellation who hasn’t revealed their modifier is awaiting your choice.]
A cold tension spreads down my spine.
“Who… who are you?”
I didn’t ask the question with the expectation of a real answer.
But then,
[A constellation who hasn’t revealed their modifier is looking at you.]
My breath caught, and a chilling sensation spread throughout my body.
Along with the sound of tsutsutsut, my entire body began to glow blue.
Subsequently, a terrible pain, as if my spine were burning, engulfed my consciousness.
.
.
.
【■■■ ■■.】
【This is ■■■ playground.】
【You cannot interfere in ■■■ stories.】
【Even if you try to ■■■■■■■■■.】
When I opened my eyes again, the old man was shaking me.
“Snap out of it, buddy!”
My body shook helplessly.
I regained my senses with a jolt.
Blood trickled from my nose.
What just happened?
As I was still groggy, the old man continued shaking me.
“I think i’m going to puke…”
“Oh, sorry. I just saw you with white eyes suddenly. What happened with the Sponsor Selection?”
“Sponsor Selection…?”
[There are 10 seconds left to complete the Sponsor Selection.]
What the hell.
I quickly looked at the Sponsor Selection screen.
But.
+
9. Dog Who Threw Himself into the Flames.
+
What happened?
The option ’10. ???’ that was visible just a moment ago disappeared.
[There are 5 seconds left to complete the Sponsor Selection.]
There wasn’t much time to think.
Should I choose the best constellation, or…
I pondered until the very last moment and made a decision.
[Sponsor Selection has ended.]
This world is definitely not the ‘Omniscient Reader’ I knew.
I couldn’t explain it well, but there was something crucially twisted about this world.
[You did not choose a constellation.]
[You haven’t choose a sponsor.]
Right now, I felt the need to observe the situation a bit more.
I could always choose a sponsor again later.
As long as I somehow survived.
“Friend?”
“Yes.”
“Did you choose?”
I shook my head.
The old man gestured as if contemplating my response.
“Oh, by the way, Kim Dokja also…”
“It’s not that. I couldn’t decide after thinking about it. There were many good Constellations.”
It was a lie, but I had to say this here.
[Constellation, ‘Rice Cake-Eating Tiger,’ is relieved.]
[Constellation, ‘Primordial Cow,’ is relieved.]
[Constellation, ‘ Pig Living in a Brick House,’ asks to be chosen next time.]
[Constellation, ‘Nail-eating Rat,’ nods and says it could happen.]
Saying this, I could avoid the criticism of the Constellations who applied for Sponsor Selection.
[Constellation, ‘The Abyssal Black Flame Dragon,’ criticizes you as a pathetic fellow who missed an opportunity.]
[Constellation, ‘Sneaking Schemer,’ squints while looking at you.]
Fortunately, these responses were acceptable.
“How about you, sir?”
“It was quite challenging for me too.”
“How many applied?”
“Four.”
Honestly, I was surprised.
I mean, he has done some pretty unusual things, but four?
“Were there any decent Constellations?”
“Some familiar names did come up.”
“Who?”
I tensed slightly.
Nevertheless, since the old man had extended a helping hand to me, there was a chance that a decent Constellation had appeared.
Luckily, the Korean Peninsula had a lot of good ones, so even if he only got the ‘Bald General’ or ‘King Heungmu’, the initial scenarios would be fine.
“Uh… It’s called ‘Commander of the Red Cosmos.’”
“Ah, Cosmos…”
I casually responded and then abruptly raised my head.
“‘Commander of the Red Cosmos,’ you said?”
“Yes…”
Even as I looked at the slightly trembling face of the old man, I couldn’t believe it.
Because the Constellation he mentioned was none other than a legendary-class Constellation.
Commander of the Red Cosmos.
Archangel Jophiel of ‘Eden.’
A constellation comparable to Uriel, who visited the 1863rd round’s world line with Kim Dokja and later became the ruler of ‘Eden’.
With Jophiel’s divine markings, even lower-tier demons couldn’t leave a trace and would be annihilated.
“Is it an extraordinary Constellation?”
“Yes, it’s extraordinary.”
“To be honest, I don’t remember well… The novel uses difficult words, and it’s been a long time since I read it.”
I asked, suppressing the slight trembling of my lips, “And the second one?”
This time, the old man confidently answered, “It was ‘Goryeo’s First Sword.’”
I exclaimed in admiration.
Goryeo’s First Sword, ‘Cheok Jungyeong,’ commonly known as the ‘Swordmaster Cheok,’ a powerful Constellation in Korea.
Considering the potential in the later stages, choosing him instead of a legendary-class Constellation like Jophiel wasn’t a bad idea.
“Wow, really amazing. And the third one?”
At that moment, the old man’s face looked oddly proud.
The reason soon became apparent.
“The third one was ‘God of Wine and Ecstasy.’”
I thought I misheard.
“Who?”
“The God of Wine and Ecstasy…”
“Really? You’re not lying?”
“Why would I lie?”
The old man looked unjustly accused.
As for me, I wanted to use [Lie Detection].
No, does this even make sense?
Jophiel, Goryeo’s First Sword, and on top of that, the God of Wine and Ecstasy, ‘Dionysus’?
Who is Dionysus?
Isn’t he one of the twelve gods of the great nebula [Olympus], and a powerful legendary-class constellation that has sided with Kim Dokja since the beginning of the novel?
How can such powerful Constellations show up after another?
While I couldn’t help feeling a bit envious and disheartened, I inquired, “Who was the last one? Could it be…?”
“That last Constellation surprised me too.”
How surprising is that?
For a moment, ‘???’ crossed my mind.
Could it be that the option also appeared for this old man?
“It was the Constellation called the ‘Sneaking Schemer.’”
So, it was a knockoff of the Secretive Plotter.
Luckily, the last one wasn’t anything special.
“That one also approached me.”
The old man seemed strangely disappointed.
“May I ask how yours went?”
“I had about ten choices.”
“Ten?”
“Well, even if I looked, I couldn’t choose anyone, so…”
“May I ask who the Constellations were?”
“Well, there was the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon…”
“Black Flame Dragon!”
The old man nodded enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling like a child.
But no matter how much I thought about it, other than the Black Flame Dragon, there was no constellation that could compare to the uncle’s list.
[The Constellation ‘The Nail-eating Rat’ has a sullen expression.]
After a moment of thought, I decided to make a wise choice that would protect everyone’s pride.
“And a dragon as famous as the Black Flame Dragon.”
“Amazing!”
[The Constellation ‘Dragon Lying Down’ donates 100 emotional coins in appreciation.]
“Also… there were Constellations similar to the Prisoner of the Golden Headband…”
“Prisoner of the Golden Headband…?”
[Constellation, ‘Rice Cake-Eating Tiger,’ donates 100 coins to you.]
[Constellation, ‘Primordial Cow,’ donates 100 coins to you.]
[Constellation, ‘Nail-eating Rat,’ donates 100 coins to you.]
[Constellation, ‘Dog Who Threw Himself into the Flames,’ donates 100 coins to you.]
The Prisoner of the Golden Headband is a powerful monkey.
Even if they don’t know, they are strong tigers, strong cows, strong mice, and strong dogs, so it’s not entirely incorrect.
Seeing the delighted Constellations, I felt good too.
[Constellation, ‘Monarch of the Small Fries,’ looks at you as if bewildered.]
[Constellation, ‘Monarch of the Small Fries,’ calls ‘The Prisoner of the Golden Headband.’]
…No way.
[Constellation, ‘The Prisoner of the Golden Headband,’ has entered the channel.]
Wait a moment.
[Constellation, ‘Rice Cake-Eating Tiger,’ has left the channel.]
[Constellation, ‘Primordial Cow,’ has left the channel.]
[Constellation, ‘Nail-eating Rat,’ has left the channel.]
[Constellation, ‘Dog Who Threw Himself into the Flames,’ has left the channel.]
Somewhere, it seemed like I could hear Bihyung’s scream.
[Constellation, ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband,’ asks where everyone went.]
[Constellation, ‘Pig Living in a Brick House,’ says he didn’t see them because he was at home.]
Amidst the chaos in the channel, the old man beside me was still chatting away, continuously raising his thumbs as if he were really proud.
“As expected, truly amazing. Such incredible Constellations…”
“No, but who did you choose, sir?”
The old man’s main choices were three.
Jophiel, Cheok Jungyeong, and Dionysus.
Since all three were remarkable Constellations, the situation depended on the man’s preferences from here on.
Regardless of whom he chose, a solid scenario was guaranteed at least until the mid-game.
Suddenly, it seemed like a halo was shining on Lee Dansoo.
Upon closer inspection, although the man was a bit old, there was an indiscernible intensity in his eyes.
Moreover, he had read the entire Omniscient Reader.
Wait a minute, could this man be the ‘protagonist’?
Just like Kim Dokja was the protagonist of Omniscient Reader, perhaps this time the protagonist could be Lee Dansoo.
The situation was similar to that of Kim Dokja, as there were big three powerful constellations attached to him from the very beginning.
My heart started to race suddenly.
If this man was the protagonist…
I recalled the first sentence about Dansoo.
“Sometimes I’ve had that thought. What if I were the protagonist?”
Indeed, a protagonist-like subtle remark made my head nod involuntarily.
“If I were Kim Dokja, who would I have chosen in the first ‘Sponsor Selection’”?
In the first ‘Sponsor Selection’, Kim Dokja received a huge love letter from Uriel, The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal, Black Flame Dragon, and the Secretive Plotter, but he made the mistake of not choosing anyone.
“It was unexpected. If it were me, I would have chosen the strongest Constellation, of course.”
“That’s usually the case.”
Kim Dokja had read 3,149 chapters of ‘Ways of Survival’ that had 50,000 characters per chapter, and since he was a madman who memorized them all, he could survive with that choice.
However, Lee Dansoo had only read 551 of the 5,000 characters per chapter of ‘Omniscient Reader’ and even then, he didn’t understand most of them.
“Yes… I simply chose the strongest Constellation.”
“I think I can guess whom you chose.”
Lee Dansoo nodded with a smile.
“Yes. Overall, this Constellation is the strongest in the novel. I’ve forgotten many other things, but I remember the name of this Constellation.”
The man suddenly became talkative, and I felt a bit uneasy.
Come to think of it, he couldn’t even remember who Cheon Inho was.
“Sir, you might be disappointed, but even though ‘Commander of the Red Cosmos’ is strong, it’s not the ultimate power.”
“What I chose is not some red flower.”
“‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ is also at the level of legends. Sir, as you may know, above the legendary level is the mythological level.”
“I don’t like alcohol.”
I quickly scanned the surroundings, then lowered my voice and said, “Sir, I’m also Korean, and I really like ‘Goryeo’s First Sword’ but…”
“I’m not patriotic enough to say that Cheok Jungyoung is the strongest.”
“Then who did you choose?”
The man’s eyes, which felt like firearms, gleamed with madness.
“Jiyoon always said that this constellation is the best in Omniscient Reader. That she’d end up getting married with him someday.”
Marry?
“‘The man who endured the endless tragedy of regression and finally saw the end of this world.’ It was written like that on the poster in Jiyoon’s room.”
I suddenly realized what had happened.
No, it can’t be.
Absolutely not.
There’s no way a reader of my novel would get that confused.
But Mr. Lee Dansoo was already smiling confidently with a face like Kim Dokja who had already broken through the ‘Lastl Wall.’
“What I chose is the ultimate Constellation, the ‘Sneaking Schemer.’”
[Constellation, ‘Sneaking Schemer’ smiles brightly.]
I suddenly started to think that this man was like Han Myungoh, who chose ‘Lame Trickster.’
[The restrictions on this area has been lifted!]
I could see guys with pipes in the distance running towards us.
[The next scenario will begin shortly.]
Maybe we’ll die before meeting Kim Dokja.
Author’s note:
No way!
——————
NOVELMX.COM
Join our Discord for release updates!