War of Kings (1)
My plan was simple.
The First Apostle—meaning that plagiarist author bastard—possessed information from the early part of Ways of Survival, specifically data from the 3rd regression and part of the 4th. And like all people who hold information, he was extremely possessive of it—so much so that he even hid it from fellow prophets.
On the other hand, the "Tyrant King," one of Seoul's Seven Kings, had begun exploiting the concept of "revelation" after learning of the existence of the
One guy hoarding information.Another trying to extract it.
What would happen when the two collided was obvious.
Lee Seong-guk asked,
"…So you're saying we're going to make a novel manuscript?"
"That's right."
The operation itself was simple.
We would turn the plagiarist author's novel into a manuscript.
Then we'd spread it among the people at each station.
Something like this would do.
—Parts of the "Revelation" held by the
The groundwork had already been laid.
Thanks to Han Dong-hoon's comment manipulation, information about the
The few early resigners who hadn't yet been purged would try to obtain hidden pieces, and naturally, the Tyrant King—who had recruited them—would be forced to move as well.
"But… we've forgotten almost all the contents of SSSSS-Class Infinite Regressor. How are we supposed to make a manuscript?"
"Why would we need the plagiarized novel's contents?"
"Huh?"
"We remember the original, don't we?"
"Ah…!"
A short exclamation. But Jeong Min-seop's face was still dark.
"Uh… there's still a problem. Most of the hidden pieces from Ways of Survival that we know about have already been used…"
"I'll provide the hidden-piece information. We'll just mix in a few things I mention with the early-story material. We only need to release item info at a reasonable level."
Most importantly, things that would catch the eye of either the plagiarist or the Tyrant King.
Lee Seong-guk gave an awkward laugh.
"This feels kind of funny. Me, making a manuscript. I've only ever read novels."
You guys… were you illegal downloaders or something?
Jeong Min-seop chimed in.
"But if we do this, won't we just be the same as that guy? We're still plagiarizing the original to make a story…"
He had a point.
I thought for a moment, then said,
"There's a saying. Plagiarism is when you hope people don't know the original. Parody is more fun if they do know it. And homage is when you want people to recognize the original."
"Oh, that's an interesting way to put it."
"So what we're doing from now on is homage."
That was the truth.
I wanted a lot of people to know SSSSS-Class Infinite Regressor.
So that bastard would crash and burn faster.
We borrowed the laptop Gong Pil-du had used and started typing. Since none of us really had experience writing fiction, we had to put our heads together and discuss things. Jeong Min-seop said, clutching his hair,
"Writing is this hard…? Novelists are seriously impressive…"
"Let's just write roughly. We don't need the whole story—only the information necessary to lure them out. In fact, incomplete revelations might be better for deceiving prophets. We need to mix truth and lies just right."
As I watched Jeong Min-seop type, I gradually added content.
"And let's slightly change the character names. There are some parts that worry me."
If characters like Lee Hyunsung or Lee Ji-hye learned about this story, they might be shocked. Whether they liked it or not, they'd eventually learn that this world was "inside a novel," but it didn't have to be right now.
But then Jeong Min-seop said something unexpected.
"I don't think you need to worry about that part."
"What?"
"Actually, Seong-guk and I tried telling a few people, as a test, that 'this place is inside a novel.' But they didn't understand at all. It was like they were NPCs… No matter how seriously we explained it, they just took it as a joke."
That was unexpected information.
Come to think of it, I'd seen Jeong Min-seop and the other
There really was something strange about it.
Jeong Min-seop continued,
"That's also why the First Apostle could distinguish
Hearing that made me feel uneasy.
I spoke absentmindedly.
"…What's the difference between the characters and us?"
"Huh? Um… we're real people from reality, and they're people from a novel? Isn't that about it?"
"Then… when did this world start being divided into reality and fiction?"
"Well… maybe from when the first scenario began?"
Even with Jeong Min-seop's answer, my doubts didn't clear.
Lee Seong-guk and Jeong Min-seop in front of me were clearly "outsiders" like me—people from outside the novel.
That was why, at first, I couldn't view their information either.
But after the recent update, I'd become able to see their information through the [Character List].
So what were they now—"real people," or "characters"?
If, over time, everyone eventually became a "character"…
I suddenly turned to look at Yu Sang-ah and Lee Gil-young, standing some distance away.
[Exclusive Skill, 'Character List,' has been activated!]
[This person is not registered in the 'Character List.']
[This person is currently gathering information.]
Fortunately, I still couldn't see the information of the two of them.
Yoo Sang-ah suddenly turned toward me and smiled.
Lee Gil-young looked at me as well.
"Why, hyung?"
"It's nothing."
I wasn't sure why, but for some reason, I felt relieved.
Before long, we finished putting together the rough framework of the novel.
If it had been serialized on Textopia, it would have undoubtedly flopped spectacularly—but that didn't matter right now.
"First, let's spread the information that the Revelation has been leaked."
Lee Seong-guk asked,
"Will there be enough time for the information to spread?"
"I'll ask Dong-hoon for help. If we use his [Reclusive Shut-in] trait, spreading it in a short amount of time won't be a problem."
"Ah, if it's Dong-hoon… understood. But not every station has internet access. What about those stations?"
"We have someone who can handle that."
I turned around.
As if he had been waiting, Kang Il-hoon nodded.
Lee Seong-guk agreed.
"Ah, I see. If it's Mr. Il-hoon, then definitely… Man, I'd almost forgotten."
"Mr. Kang Il-hoon, you're ready, right?"
Kang Il-hoon, the former vice-chairman of Dongdaemun.
It really had been worth keeping this guy alive on purpose.
Kang Il-hoon spoke with a slightly tense expression.
"Leave it to me. I'm confident when it comes to talking. I just need to spread rumors, right?"
[Character 'Kang Il-hoon' is relying on you.]
[Your understanding of this character has increased.]
Kang Il-hoon.
At last, the time had come for the [Rumor Expert] trait to shine.
There were now 44 hours remaining until the scenario ended.
Within the next day, the real battle would begin.
—Dong-hoon, thanks.
—I'm just paying you back. Don't worry about it.
[Character 'Han Dong-hoon' trusts you slightly.]
Since the last incident, Han Dong-hoon—the "Reclusive Shadow King"—had opened up to me quite a bit. Saving him from the clutches of the
—For some reason, I feel a strange sense of familiarity with you, hyung.
—Familiarity?
—Like I've known you for a long time… Are you also a [Reclusive Shut-in], hyung?
—No, I'm not. I'm just a bit timid.
—I see. When I talk to you, I feel this inexplicable wall. I can't explain it well, but I like it.
—Isn't feeling a wall from someone usually a bad thing?
—I only trust people who have walls. I think that to understand someone, you first have to face that wall.
A seventeen-year-old kid talking like some kind of sage.
Still, a wall, huh. He might be right.
Some walls are impossible to cross—and that's exactly why you long for them even more.
—Anyway, I've spread all the rumors. But how are you going to distribute that "revelation"? Online again?
—No. If we put it online, random people will read it. We're going to sell it.
—Sell it? How?
I began explaining it to Han Dong-hoon.
40 hours until the end of the scenario.
At last, I gathered the party from Chungmuro.
"This journey won't be easy. If we fail to take 'Changsin Station' within the next 40 hours, our entire group will be wiped out. And the faction currently holding that station is no pushover."
"Well, when has it ever been easy? Who's the opponent this time?"
At Jeong Hee-won's question, I answered,
"It's a guy called the Tyrant King. He's one of the Seven Kings of Seoul, and he controls the largest territory in the northern region."
This time, Lee Hyun-sung asked,
"What kind of person is he?"
"He started in the Dobong District and expanded southward, building his own 'kingdom.' If someone's good-looking—man or woman—he takes them as concubines. If they're ugly, he either kills them or turns them into slaves."
Jeong Hee-won frowned.
"Then you'd be a slave if you got caught, Dokja."
"...Well, I think you'd be in danger too, Hee-won."
"Being a concubine would be a problem… Why don't we just go kill him right away?"
"He's backed by a pretty powerful constellation, so that'll be difficult. For now, we have two options: either steal the flag he possesses, or take over his main base, 'Dobong Station.'"
Neither option was easy, and everyone looked tense. I decided it was time to get to the main point.
"First, we're going to Gwanghwamun."
"Huh? Didn't you say we were fighting that guy?"
"They'll come to us."
"Why?"
"I leaked some information. We need to account for the time it'll take him to move, so we'll depart a bit later. Everyone, make sure you're prepared in advance—…huh?"
"...Why all of a sudden?"
At Yoo Sang-ah's question, I gave a subtle smile.
"No, it's just that things seem to be moving faster than I expected."
A message from Han Dong-hoon popped up on my smartphone.
— I spread the word that it can be searched on the 'Exchange.' That's okay, right?
— Yeah, that's right. You did well.
Then, system messages began pouring into my ears one after another.
[An item you listed on the Exchange has been sold.]
[An item you listed on the Exchange has been sold.]
Bihyung's voice echoed from the empty air.
[…You're a con artist by nature, aren't you?]
'How are the Constellations reacting?'
[Obviously, they're going crazy. The filtering restrictions are slowly being lifted, and some of them have even started directly gifting items to their incarnations. But if you pull something like this, you'll draw attention again. Are you sure you're okay with that? And if you release information you know, won't that put you at a disadvantage too?]
'It won't.'
There was more than enough information to go around anyway.
And the information I released wasn't information I needed.
If anything, it was information that would hurt someone else.
'Hand over the coins from the sales.'
[Here you go, bastard.]
[On the Exchange, "Revelation – SSSSS-Rank Infinite Regressor," Volume 16 has been sold.]
[You have obtained 16,000 coins.]
Needless to say, I didn't release the text files for free.
Anyone who truly needed this information would already be contracted with a constellation, so selling it through the 'Exchange' was better than distributing it online.
Giving away a 'Revelation' that contained important information for free would only be more suspicious.
But if you put a price on it and sell it?
Those who needed it would naturally buy it.
Because they'd convince themselves that the information had that much 'value.'
Sometimes, the quality of information is determined not by its content, but by its price.
And 16,000 coins, huh. That's a pretty nice sum.
I spoke to the group.
"Sorry, but I'm going to take a short nap."
"...Isn't that a bit too relaxed?"
"There are things I can only do if I sleep."
I lay down right there. Yu Sang-ah covered me with a thin blanket she must have brought from somewhere. Jeong Hee-won clicked her tongue in disbelief.
And then, I fell asleep almost instantly.
A short while later, amid my blurred consciousness, I heard a system message.
[Exclusive Skill, 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint,' Level 3 has been activated.]
From what I've learned so far, [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] is divided into three stages.
Stage 1: Reading a character's simple actions or emotions.
Stage 2: Knowing a character's inner thoughts.
Stage 3: Seeing the surrounding scenery of where the character is, or directly immersing oneself into that character.
Up to now, I've experienced Stage 3 only twice.
Once was in a dream.
The other time was while I was in a near-death state.
In the dream, I saw Yoo Joonghyuk leaving Geumho Station.
In the near-death state, I witnessed the scene at Chungmuro.
These two cases had something in common.
My consciousness had been blurred and unstable.
But that wasn't the only condition for activating Stage 3.
There was one more crucial requirement.
That was—
"'President, are you watching? Damn it… am I doing this right?'
Muttering to himself, Kang Il-hoon looked into the empty air and spoke.
'I've definitely spread it to the Tyrant King's side. They'll start moving soon. But… you are listening, right?'"
The character and I had to be thinking about each other at the same time.
Moments later, my vision squirmed, and the scenery Kang Il-hoon was peeking at came into view.
"A man with gleaming white teeth was smiling. Draped in a dazzling dragon robe and wearing a bizarre golden crown, he slowly rose from his throne while being attended by women at his sides.
'What's the new revelation?'
'It seems certain. It's information purchased with coins, so there's no mistake.'
'Who released the information?'
'It appears to be one of the
'How reliable is it?'
'We verified several hidden pieces contained in the Revelation. They were all genuine.'
The man bared his teeth in a grin.
'Let's go to Gwanghwamun. We'll occupy it first, before the others arrive.'"
Good. The Tyrant King was finally making his move.
Now the problem was the other side.
I thought of Jeong Min-seop.
"'President. He's arrived.'"
The timing couldn't be better.
Jeong Min-seop was already out at the Sejong-daero intersection in Gwanghwamun.
Soon after, the surrounding scene where Jeong Min-seop was came into view.
"'Judging by that edgy middle-schooler hood he's wearing, I'm sure of it. It's him.'"
Figures flickered beneath the buildings. As expected, the plagiarist author was the fastest to arrive. One of the most useful hidden pieces of the third regression was hidden in Gwanghwamun. His nerves must have been burning by now—there was no way he wouldn't come running.
"'The problem is, it looks like more than just them are coming. Kings from Yeongdeungpo, Yongsan, and Seongdong-gu seem to be on the move too… Isn't this getting too big?'"
No—this was exactly what I'd hoped for.
The ones hiding beneath the surface were finally beginning to emerge, one by one.
I no longer had to go looking for them myself. In fact, this was better.
At last, the final act of the Fourth Scenario.
'The War of Kings' was about to begin.