Chapter 46

1 “The Ninth Renouncer… I’ve never heard of that attribute.” “I-I’m sure you haven’t. It’s because this is the first loop we Oracles have appeared in.” Excuses, excuses. I suddenly wanted to mess with him a bit. “How odd. If you received a Revelation about the future, shouldn’t you be called “revelator” or something similar? Why “renouncer?” What does that mean? “Y-you see…it’s because we…I mean, the Revelation is…” Seongguk Lee was stammering, trying desperately not to say anything that would trigger “Lie Detection.” I almost wanted to pat him on his head. Let’s see how much of the truth you can speak. He winced tightly and forced himself to continue, “I think it’s the order in which we…stopped reading the Revelation!” “You stopped reading it? Why?” “Because it’s so complex and vast…and too profound…” “So you’re the ninth person to give up on reading it?” “Yes…” “Then you probably won’t be of much use to me, will you?” “Th-that’s not true, sir! I can be of great help to you!” Seongguk Lee sputtered in panic, then nervously switched his smartphone on and off several times. “Why do you keep fidgeting with your phone?” “F-forgive me! I have a smartphone addiction……” He was obviously trying to get advice from the other Oracles, but I wouldn’t let that happen. “It looked like the internet is working here.” “Th-that’s right. Using the reclusive loner’s ability…” I glanced over at Donghoon Han. The hypnotized boy was biting his nails with a blank look in his eyes. He was the Reclusive King of Shadows, who had a powerful ability to manipulate information. I couldn’t leave this boy under the control of the Oracles. If all those Oracles interfered with the plot like this, the original story would go off the rails, and all my plans would become obsolete. I needed to stop them before they ruined everything. “Do all the other Oracles also have the renouncer attributes?” “…Yes, sir.” “How many are there in total?” “That’s…” Seongguk Lee hesitated a bit before answering, “There are forty-eight that we know of.” Forty-eight? That was fewer than I thought. Chapter 1 of TWSA had around twelve hundred views, and chapter ten had around a hundred and twenty, so I expected there to be at least a hundred Oracles. Why so few? Seongguk Lee continued as if to answer my question. “There were more originally, but most of them didn’t make it through the first scenario…or so we think.” “They died? Even though they knew the future?” “The thing is…we only recently realized that the Revelation was real.” I could see it now. When the first scenario started, it was doubtful very many readers would have instantly connected the dots and realized the novel they’d read ten years ago had become reality. Even if they did, their memory of the plot would’ve been hazy at best. In fact, it was strange that Seongguk Lee had survived at all. He was the Ninth Renouncer, so he must’ve stopped reading very early on. So how did he make it through to this point? “I was very lucky. If I didn’t happen to be with another Oracle when it started, I’d be dead.” There was another Oracle with him? “That—” As he was about to continue, the ground shook faintly. It had gotten through “Block Soundwaves” placed around the tent, so it must’ve been quite a big commotion. Seongguk Lee and I ran out of the tent at the same time. I thought some kind of sub scenario had been activated, but that wasn’t the case. There were two people standing in the middle of the scene. A man and woman glared at each other, ready to throw down. I didn’t know who the man was, but the woman… “You wanna die? You’re just a no-name background character!” “What’s this loser yapping about?” …was Huiwon. No surprises there. “What did you just call me?” The man drew a large sword from his back. Even at a glance, I could tell his stats were quite high. However, they weren’t high enough. Not even close. After all, incarnations with comparable stats couldn’t hope to match Huiwon’s movements. She easily avoided the man’s attack and swung her sword. [Character Huiwon Jeong has activated Mikazuki Munechika’s special ability, “Footsteps of the Reaper.”] “Huiwon Jeong!” Her blade stopped a fraction of a second before slicing off the man’s head. His eyes were wide with shock, and the hair on the back of his neck was standing up. An insurmountable gap in speed. Had I not stopped her, he would be dead. Seongguk Lee gasped and ran forward. “Minseob Jung! What the hell are you doing?” Seeing the panic on Seongguk Lee’s face, I realized something. [Exclusive skill “Character Profile” has been activated.] I already knew what message would come up next. [This character’s information cannot be viewed via “Character Profile.”] [This character is not registered in “Character Profile.”] I knew it. This guy’s also an Oracle. Soon, the other Oracle was kneeling in front of me, next to Seongguk Lee. “I’m so sorry. My friend had no idea… Hey! Hurry and apologize!” At his companion’s urging, the man with the large sword lowered his head. “…Sorry.” This one seemed to have a bit of an ego. He was apologizing, but he was still fuming with anger. I turned to Huiwon. “Huiwon Jeong. I told you not to do anything rash.” “But this asshole—” “Huiwon Jeong!” For the first time, she looked shocked. “…Forgive me, Mr. Junghyeok Yu.” Huiwon bowed, then turned around and left. Hyeonseong hurried after her, looking utterly flustered. I knew very well that Huiwon would never have drawn her blade without a good reason. But in a situation like this, a single hasty action could spell disaster. The man with the large sword looked up at me. “Did she just call you—you’re Junghyeok Yu?” “That’s right. Are you also an Oracle?” “…Yes, sir.” The man looked conflicted. He looked at me, then at Huiwon and Hyeonseong, who were walking away. Finally, he turned to Seongguk Lee, who was kneeling next to him. “Um…Mr. Yu, I’m terribly sorry, but we’ll need to step out for a sec. Seongguk, let’s have a quick chat.” Then he got up and left the tent. Seongguk Lee hurried after him, bowing to me apologetically. “Don’t keep me waiting.” “Of course!” Junghyeok Yu wouldn’t have said that. But I had a reason for allowing them to leave. I waited for a second until they had walked some distance away from the tent, then immediately called Bihyeong. Hey, Bihyeong. What? It was just getting interesting… “Enhanced Hearing.” Here’s 2,000 coins. …… It seemed Bihyeong was getting used to me doing this kind of thing. It took him less than three seconds to put on ads, take my coins, and hand me the item I’d asked for. [You have spent 2,000 coins.] [You have acquired exclusive skill “Enhanced Hearing.”] Bihyeong warned me in a grumbling tone. Hey, be more careful. Large-scale scenarios like these are overseen by mid-level goblins— I ignored him and used the skill right away. [Exclusive skill “Enhanced Hearing” has been activated.] I poked my head outside the tent which was protected by “Block Soundwaves.” I immediately began to hear voices. For two people trying to have a secret conversation, they hadn’t gone too far. “Hey, don’t you think it’s strange?” “What is?” “Does he look handsome to you?” “What’re you talking about…?” “Junghyeok Yu is supposed to be extremely good-looking. But that guy’s face is kinda…all over the place…” You little… Thankfully, Seongguk Lee came to my defense. “Maybe the author just has a unique taste… He’s definitely Junghyeok Yu. I mean, that rotten temper of his is straight out of the pages.” “You’re only the ninth. You barely know anything…” “You said you also read it long ago and don’t remember it well!” “Hey, I can recall certain scenes perfectly, thanks to my ‘Memory Enhancement.’ And I don’t want to hear that from someone who’s only read the prologue. You’d be dead if it weren’t for me…” They bickered for a while, then their voices began to come closer. “Something’s not adding up. I mean, it makes sense that Hyeonseong Lee is here, but who’s that woman? I don’t remember there being a character like her in the third loop.” “Then, why don’t we test him and see if he’s the real deal?” “About that…what do we do if he really is Junghyeok Yu…?” “Then we just go with the plan. If he’s the real deal, this is our chance to get back at those smug bustards who read more than fifty chapters.” Thanks, guys. This is some juicy intel you’re feeding me for free. Here were the people who had been whining in the comments section about how Junghyeok was an idiot, how they would’ve done things better. Now that they were in this situation, they were slipping up left and right. I could see Seongguk Lee and the man with the large sword heading back. “My apologies for making you wait. Please, step inside.” We went back inside the tent. “Mr. Yu, forgive me for being rude earlier. Allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Minseob Jung.” The man with the large sword forced a smile and then bowed his head. He’d been easily beaten by Huiwon, but on closer inspection, he had some high-quality items. Especially the Fugitive’s Mask around his neck, which had the very useful ability to change the user’s appearance at will. “So what number renouncer are you?” Minseob Jung shot an angry look at his friend, as if to berate him for telling me too much. He clearly hadn’t expected me to know about renouncers. “…I’m the 1,089th, sir.” 1,089th. Quite a jump from his friend’s ninth……but considering the first chapter of TWSA had around twelve hundred views and chapter ten had around a hundred and twenty, Minseob Jung was still an early renouncer. He was likely the one who had saved Seongguk Lee in the first scenario. “As an Oracle who’s read the Revelation, I’m honored to meet you, sir. But…I hope you’ll forgive me for this—may I ask you a few questions?” “Questions? What questions?” “That is…about yourself, sir…” “You’re doubting whether I’m really Junghyeok Yu, hm?” “O-of course not, but…” Minseob’s face flushed a deep shade of red as I met his eyes directly with a glare. “Go ahead.” “Pardon?” “I said, ask what you want.” He regained his composure and nodded. “Uh… Again, I’m very sorry. Then, if you don’t mind…” In order to properly deceive these guys, I had to confirm a few things myself. “According to the Revelation, in your third loop, you’re allied with Delusional Demon Namwoon Kim. But instead, you’re accompanied by a woman I don’t recognize.” “……” “At first, I thought she might be Jihye Lee because she had a sword, but she’s clearly not a teenager, and you called her a different name.” I could tell this guy was quite observant and had a good memory. As he said, this world had changed quite a bit from the original third loop they’d known from reading the novel. What I had to do now was to spin that in a way that was advantageous to me. “If you’re asking me why I’m not accompanied by the Delusional Demon, the answer is simple: In this loop, the Delusional Demon does not exist.” “Pardon…? Wh-what do you mean he— Is he…dead?” “That’s right.” They looked shocked. Minseob sounded skeptical. “But how…? Just who could’ve killed him? “Delusional Demon Namwoon Kim was…” I looked down at the pair. They were both leaning forward with their mouths agape without realizing. It was time to drive the point home. “…killed by an Oracle like you.” “S-someone like us?” “That’s right. I didn’t know he was an Oracle until now, but after talking to you, all the pieces finally fit. That bastard also knew about the future.” “That’s…” “Far more than you, in fact. Not only did he kill Namwoon Kim, but he also cleared out many of the early hidden scenarios. My plans are all thrown off because of him.” “Wh-who could do such a thing…?” You’re looking at him right now, idiot. “It looks like he’s even going around pretending to be me. I gave him a good beating last time we met, but there’s a high chance he’s still lurking near Chungmuro.” [Constellation Secretive Plotter is amazed by your shamelessness.] “…Chungmuro? Wait, could it be?!” Minseob Jung gasped in surprise, then began to type something into his phone. He was likely relaying this information to the other Oracles. After that, he asked me a few more questions, and I gave him simple answers. “I see! Oh…… That’s why the third loop is so different from the script… You really are Mr. Junghyeok Yu.” He looked genuinely impressed. “And I totally understand why you recruited that woman in place of the Delusional Demon. She’s definitely good enough to replace Namwoon Kim. I mean, she defeated me with one strike…” With that, I had them completely fooled. Ironically, it was their own misunderstanding that filled the gaps in my story. “Listening to you, I think I know who killed the Delusional Demon.” “……You do?” “Yes. But first, I should tell you—in truth, the Oracles aren’t all on the same side.” I’d surmised that much after eavesdropping on them earlier. After all, if there were forty-eight people who knew the future, some of them were bound to have their own ideas about how to use that knowledge. “There’s a group calling themselves the ‘Twelve Disciples.’ They believe that only they have read the true Revelation and have the power to change this world.” Twelve, huh…? That matched the number of views on chapter fifty of TWSA. “What differentiates them from the rest of you?” “They’ve…read far more of the Revelation than we have.” I knew it. “There are eleven of them currently known. My guess is that the one who has interfered with you is the last Disciple we don’t know about.” Very nice. Give these creative fools a single breadcrumb, and they come up with a whole story. What a convenient misunderstanding. No, hang on……maybe it’s not a misunderstanding? After all, one of the twelve people who read chapter fifty was me. “Sounds like you’re not too fond of these Disciples.” “To be honest, no. Unlike us, those bastards are planning to take over the world by using their knowledge of the future. They’re not any better than the Ten Evils.” ……He’s not talking about me, so why do I feel so guilty? “The Ten Evils…” “That’s why we’re asking you, sir—please, take us under your wing and stop those bastards.” I see. So this is their real goal. To tell the truth, I hadn’t expected this. Who knew they’d need Junghyeok Yu because of the infighting among Oracles. I thought about it for a moment before responding. “Very well. I accept. I’ll form an alliance with you.” “R-really?” “But there’s one condition.” Their faces turned nervous. “First, hand over Changsin Station.” “Sorry? Changsin…?” “It’s the one north of Dongmyo. You’ve already claimed it, no?” “Oh, right. That’s Chungmuro’s target station……” Minseob Jung seemed to realize something. Actually, this was the most important part of this alliance. Our target station in Capture the Flag was Changsin. If I couldn’t take control of it, I wouldn’t be able to clear the fourth scenario, even if I fully completed King’s Path. And if I didn’t clear the fourth scenario, my group members and I would automatically die. Seongguk Lee had an uneasy look on his face. “Uh, Mr. Yu, I’m terribly sorry, but…that might be a bit complicated.” “Why is that?” “Changsin Station doesn’t belong to us.” “It doesn’t?” That was odd. Changsin was right next to Dongmyo, so I’d assumed they’d have taken it a long time ago. Seongguk Lee sighed. “It’s occupied by the Tyrant King.” The Tyrant King. My heart sank. “…That bastard is a king already?” One of “the Seven Kings of Seoul”—The Tyrant King. At this point in the story, he was one of the few who could match Junghyeok’s strength. But he wasn’t supposed to become a king for another few days. Not only that, he should’ve started way north of here, around Dobong-gu. How had he already extended his territory so far south? The more I thought about it, the less it made sense. Seongguk Lee lowered his eyes when he realized I was looking at him. “The thing is…a few Oracles made a mistake…which ended up helping the Tyrant King greatly. It was a whole mess, and some Oracles died in the process… There were fifty-three of us until then.” My trust in them was rapidly dropping. How could I have thought these idiots who only read the beginning knew what they were doing? “B-but, no need to worry, sir. We’ve been preparing a powerful weapon that will take out the Tyrant King. Not only him, but the Twelve Disciples as well.” Minseob Jung hurriedly chimed in, too. “It’s something you probably don’t know about at this point. We went through a lot to get this intel…” Yes, I know for sure now. I can’t leave these clowns alone. I need to stop them before they screw up the entire plot. “Actually, this is perfect timing. You’ll be able to see this weapon for yourself soon.” “See it for myself?” “Tomorrow happens to be the Night of the Oracles, you see. It’s where all of us meet up, minus the Twelve Disciples. If it’s okay with you…” Minseob Jung looked at me with pleading eyes. “…we’d be honored to have you, Mr. Jungheok Yu.” After the talk was over, I met with Huiwon and Hyeonseong in the private quarters Seongguk Lee had prepared for us. I looked at Chungmuro’s flag on my back. I had spent the afternoon going around and claiming Dongdaemun and Cheonggu Stations, which turned my flag navy. [The new ability of the navy flag is awaiting activation.] [You have paid 3,500 coins to activate the special ability of the navy flag.] [You can now use “Group Chat” with your group members.] From here on, we could talk freely without worrying. The “Group Chat” couldn’t be overheard by anyone other than our group members who were in the vicinity. The only downside was that it cost a lot of coins to activate… I briefly explained what happened today to my companions. Huiwon seemed to have caught the gist of it already, but Hyeonseong had been utterly clueless until I told them. Goodness, I can’t believe it. There are people who know about the future… Dokja, is that why you’ve been impersonating Junghyeok Yu? That’s right. Haah…… Then I guess we’ll be staying here for a while. To get more information out of them… Nope. Huh? We’ll take care of them tonight. I looked at Huiwon. And I’m sorry about earlier. It’s okay. Though my feelings were a bit hurt. …… I’m kidding. You’re impersonating a crazy bastard, so you acted like one, right? If you’re really sorry, let me handle that Minseob Jung guy. Huiwon continued with a smile. So are the three of us getting it on tonight or what? Getting it on…? Hyeonseong blanched at Huiwon’s jocular phrasing. I shook my head. There’s something I need to take care of first. What do you mean? If we attack them now, we’ll have to face the whole group. We don’t want that, do we? With that, I pulled out a small cloak and draped it over my body. Seeing me disappear suddenly, Hyeonseong stammered in alarm. Huh? D-Dokja? I’ll give you a signal. Make your move then. I blended into the darkness. The Hermit’s Cloak was a gold member exclusive item I bought for three thousand coins from Bihyeong. It was limited to only five uses, but had a very useful ability that granted “Absolute Stealth” for twenty minutes when activated. I slipped outside our tent, blending into the darkness. It would be useless against an opponent with “Absolute Senses” level 6 or higher, but no one here had anything like that. I passed the dozing guards and made my way to the leader’s tent, where Donghoon Han was. Once I got inside, I wouldn’t have to worry about being overheard, since the tent was surrounded by “Block Soundwaves.” As I carefully opened the tent flaps, I saw the boy, typing on a keyboard, alone. The bags under his eyes were darker than they had been earlier that day. His back looked frail and pitiful as he typed out the comments at this late hour, all by himself. The Oracles likely planned to turn him into a robot with stunted emotions, a propaganda machine that manipulated the future by churning out a mixture of truths and falsehoods. His ability may not have seemed like much, but as time went on, it would become invaluable. I silently approached him from behind and covered his mouth. Unable to breathe, he struggled in my arms. But his level-10 strength wasn’t enough to make me budge. I reached into my pocket and took out the vial of Mental Stimulant that I had purchased along with the Hermit’s Cloak from Bihyeong earlier. This item cost a whopping three thousand coins. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t mind the hefty price tag, but if that got me the Reclusive King of Shadows, then three thousand coins was a bargain. The boy’s eyes changed soon after I forced him to swallow the stimulant. With the hypnosis dispelled, he was regaining his senses. “U-urgh…y-y-you…” Being hypnotized didn’t mean he forgot everything. All sorts of trauma must have been running through his head at that moment. Still, now that he’d woken up, his sponsoring constellation could help him. [Character Donghoon Han’s sponsoring constellation reveals their epithet.] [Constellation Shadow Behind the Curtain expresses their gratitude.] [You have received 500 coins as a donation.] The boy staggered away from me, gripping his flag tightly in his hand. I stared at it for a moment before emphatically taking a step back. “Relax. I’m not here to take your flag.” “U-ugh… You……” “You’re a smart guy, so I’m sure can tell. If I’d meant to harm you, I wouldn’t have undone your hypnosis, right?” “Then…th-th-then what…? “Let’s be friends.” He looked perturbed when he heard the word “friends.” I waited patiently. He needed some time before the waves of alarm and suspicion in his head calmed. But even after a long pause, he appeared to have trouble speaking. Oh, right. This boy has social anxiety. “It’s hard to talk to me directly, right? If you’re okay with it, I’d like to use this instead.” He looked at the phone in my hand for a moment and then started mumbling something. [Character Donghoon Han has used “Wide Area Network” Lv.5 on your smartphone.] [As long as character Donghoon Han is conscious, you can access the internet anywhere within Seoul Dome.] Donghoon Han’s name popped up on my phone soon after. Who are you? I’ve been looking for you. Seongguk Lee said the same thing. I’m sure he did. I… The boy’s fingers were trembling pitifully, and he couldn’t finish the sentence. I realized instinctively that I wouldn’t be able to persuade him here. His trauma had been festering for the last dozen or so days, to the point it couldn’t be healed easily. I understand. You must be scared and confused. [Character Donghoon Han is greatly perturbed.] You know nothing. I’m not like those guys. I don’t trust you. You hate the Oracles, don’t you? With that, something stirred in his eyes. Deep inside the pupils of the boy who had been hypnotized and turned into a puppet, a seething rage flared up. If you want, I can get rid of them. Why? But you and the Oracles are… They shouldn’t exist. They’re an obstacle to the epilogue I want. Donghoon stared at me in disbelief, then bit his lip and typed on his keyboard. You just want to use my abilities, too. I raised my head to face Donghoon Han. No, that’s the opposite of what I want. I looked him straight in the eye, and this time, I spoke with my real voice. “From now on, don’t do anything.” “Finally, we don’t have to take this bullshit anymore. It’ll all be over by tomorrow.” “Phew… A bottle of soju would be perfect right now.” “Ugh, tell me about it. Did you see that bastard’s eyes earlier? I almost shit my pants when he glared at me with ‘The Eye of the Sage.’” “Ha-ha. You quit at the prologue, so how do you even know it was ‘The Eye of the Sage’?” They sounded like they were in a good mood. What a fascinating conversation. I almost wish I could keep listening. “Oh, but the other Oracles don’t believe me. How should I convince them? They keep saying they’ll go to Chungmuro to confirm…” “Ugh, I’ll talk to them. Hand me the pho— Huh?” Minseob Jung took Seongguk Lee’s phone and began to type something. Then he scowled in annoyance. “Huh? The internet suddenly cut out.” “Damn it, is that brat dozing off again? Go check on him.” Minseob Jung got up to leave the tent but bumped into something in thin air. He gasped in surprise and immediately reached for his large sword. “Th-there’s something here…” “Aaack!” He fell to the ground, screaming. I took off the Hermit’s Cloak, and at the same time pulled out Blade of Faith. “M-Mr. Yu?! Wh-what are you doing h—?” Seongguk Lee’s panicked stammer was cut short as Huiwon poked her head inside the tent. “We took care of some of them, but we can’t hold them off for long. There are too many!” She slipped back out, followed by sounds of weapons clashing. Soon, this tent would be swarmed by the guards. “D-don’t you know how this will end? Even you can’t take all of us on at once, Mr. Yu!” “All of you? I don’t need to do that. I just have to take care of the leader.” Seongguk Lee’s lips quivered. “I’m sorry, it won’t go as you—” Kshk! With a deft stroke of my aether blade, Minseob Jung’s armor was split in two. “Ack!” A piece of cloth fell from his chest. I picked it up before Minseob Jung could react. [You have acquired Dongmyo Station’s flag.] [Your navy flag has absorbed the other navy flag’s accumulated points.] [Your navy flag has evolved to the brown flag.] [You are protected by the brown flag’s powerful blessing.] “I knew it. You’re the true leader of Dongmyo.” “H-how did you—?” “Even idiots like you wouldn’t openly flaunt their flag, right?” From the very start, I’d thought it was strange that they’d given the leader’s position to Donghoon Han. After all, it made little sense that they would entrust such a key role to a character inside a novel when they were the ones who had knowledge of the future. And Seongguk Lee wasn’t the leader, either. Then that only left one option. [The remaining members of Dongmyo group are awaiting your decision.] Now, even if their whole group swarmed into the tent, it’d mean nothing. Minseob Jung sputtered in despair. “Mr. Yu! I-if the other Oracles find out about this—” “How would they? The internet’s not working.” Realizing they’d been in the palm of my hand all along, Seongguk Lee crawled toward me. “Why…why are you doing this to us?!” “Well, I don’t think that matters at this point. Even if I were the real Junghyeok Yu, I wouldn’t have allied with people like you.” “Wh-what do you mean…? Wait! Are you—?” Their faces turned pale, and I grinned at them. “That’s why you should read till the end.”