Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: The Readers' Siege
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5
Another day passed.
One more innocent reader flew off.
Along with that, the murim's dao crashed to the ground.
Even if the reader had dissed the author, that would be shocking enough, but for the author to punch the readers away!
The readers who had come down to Busan grinning ear to ear, hoping to get an autograph from the literature girl, hurriedly convened an emergency strategy meeting.
"This morning, the second champion fell too."
"......"
"Who knew the literature girl's combat prowess was this high. I had no idea."
Surprisingly, even Cheon Yo-hwa, the demonic head of Baekhwa Girls' High School, was among them.
In truth, she had been a die-hard fan of [Regressor's Epilogue], shortened to <Regepi>, from its earliest days.
Back when <Regepi> hadn't even hit twelve chapters. Cheon Yo-hwa stumbled upon the novel by chance, then rushed straight to the free board and posted recommendation threads three times, begging everyone to check out this 'god-tier work.'
It was called a recommendation, but considering Cheon Yo-hwa's social status and temper, it was no different from the Minister of Education designating it required reading.
From that day on, Baekhwa Girls' High School students' backpacks carried one extra textbook.
Just in case the supreme student council president comrade asked, 'What's your favorite episode in Regepi?' they could instantly reply, 'The Answer Parasite arc!'
As such, Cheon Yo-hwa was one of the most furious about the 'seven-year indefinite hiatus incident.'
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say <Regepi> gained explosive traction thanks to her recommendation posts!
Yet she dared to go on hiatus, and now formalized a full-on disappearance. Utterly outrageous.
"First, civilians, step back. You could actually die if things go wrong."
"H-Huh, but......"
"No buts. From my personal intel...... Surprisingly, the literature girl's realm is on par with mine. No. She might even be stronger."
Murmurs rippled through.
The five hundred readers stirred. Stronger than the Baekhwa Demon Head? Was there another powerhouse on this peninsula besides the Three Thousand Witch and the Three Kingdoms' Heavenly Demons?
"You civilians probably all read pirated copies anyway, right? What fan meeting? Fan meeting my ass. Get out."
The civilians had no choice but to slink away in shame. They couldn't even access SG Net in the first place—how were they supposed to read <Regepi>? Being born without an awakener's gift was a eternal regret.
Once the civilians left, only two hundred remained in the meeting hall. Yoo Ji-won, who had been silently observing, finally spoke.
"I warned you this would happen. O Dok-seo's martial prowess isn't to be laughed at, and we needed to carefully select a champion from among us. Now two are out, leaving us with only 26 chances."
Glares poured onto Yoo Ji-won, who lived solely to say 'See? I told you so' to others. If she weren't an official, she'd have tasted the bitterness of murim long ago.
Snap.
Cheon Yo-hwa raised her hand. The tension in the air, taut as a bowstring about to snap, instantly eased.
"Yes, exactly. We underestimated the literature girl too much. Looking back now, <Regepi> is overflowing with details no void expert could fabricate. Our baby author was a master from the start."
"Indeed......"
"No wonder it felt so real."
Sighs echoed here and there.
The truth was simply that O Dok-seo had power-leveled during the seven-year hiatus, and the novel's details came from the regressor—facts the readers couldn't know.
"Bdropping our guard here would just make us the laughingstock. Let's go with wheel battle."
"Wheel battle?"
"Select the top 24 strongest readers, including those who haven't reached Busan yet. I'll be the 25th, backing you up."
"Oho."
Force the literature girl to fight for 24 straight days, then deliver the finishing blow as the strongest reader, the Baekhwa Demon Head—
A dirty tactic, but effective. To secure certain victory, face must be set aside.
As people nodded in agreement, Cheon Yo-hwa continued.
"I think duels should start around 10:30 a.m. each day."
"Hm? You're planning to leave the literature girl standing outside from 6 a.m.? If the goal is to wear her down, I agree, but someone of that caliber won't tire from standing a few hours."
"No."
Cheon Yo-hwa shook her head.
"Poison the Babel Tower Square."
"...What?"
"The author said in the notice: for 28 days, 'I'll be at Busan Babel Tower Square from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.'"
A smile curled on the Baekhwa Demon Head's lips.
"In other words, if the literature girl leaves the square first, she breaks her own promise. We'd claim victory by default."
"......!"
"No matter what happens in Babel Tower Square, the author can't run or escape. Even if we spread poison mist and set all sorts of traps."
The readers gasped. Such a vile scheme! The Baekhwa Demon Head's infamy was no lie!
One awakener raised an objection.
"B-But, President. Isn't Babel Tower Square basically National Highway Management Corps territory...? We can't just......"
Hahaha, Cheon Yo-hwa laughed boldly.
"Why? Scared? We have the Corps' operations team leader here, and me, the Baekhwa Girls' High School student council president—what's there to worry about?"
Justice is on our side.
The Baekhwa Demon Head's bold proclamation was no bluff.
Cheon Yo-hwa immediately consulted the National Highway Management Corps and Three Thousand Worlds, securing permission for Babel Tower Square. And installed all manner of vicious traps.
The next morning.
"Hmm."
Step.
O Dok-seo stepped into the square and surveyed her surroundings.
-Ahhh...... Ahh......
Speakers lined the square's edges, endlessly playing a recording of Dang Seo-rin's Song Enchantment.
As a highly skilled awakener, O Dok-seo gauged its effects from the Three Thousand Clan Lord's melody after just the first note.
"Physical weakening. Target designation. Sensory dulling. Triple-layered chant."
The encirclement wasn't just speakers.
Her readers.
Reinforced by reinforcements, three hundred die-hards now surrounded the square.
She hadn't entered the square's 'interior.' She merely stood on the boundary line outside.
Hmph, O Dok-seo sneered.
"Impressive. A scheme from Baekhwa's eternal dropout."
"......"
"Short bag strap indeed— even your so-called ploy lacks foresight."
Don't ask me why O Dok-seo's speech turned like that. Probably her chuunibyou worsened from hanging out with the Mansang Leisure AI chatbot daily.
Crack.
O Dok-seo dug into her ear with a finger. Blood trickled out, then abruptly stopped.
O Dok-seo grinned at the surroundings.
"I just ruptured my eardrums."
"......!"
"The Three Thousand Clan Lord's feeble song holds no sway over me. If you have words for this seat, look me in the eye and speak. I can still read lip movements."
"Tch."
Cheon Yo-hwa clicked her tongue.
Indeed. Song Enchantment had that weakness, specialized for buffs over debuffs. Anomalies often lacked hearing, nullifying debuffs.
But to burst her own eardrums without hesitation!
With that aura control, she could've just punched the speakers—bursting her own eardrums was especially idiotic...!
"No choice. Activate the traps—"
"Forbidden."
Boom!
O Dok-seo stomped. Crimson aura surged across the ground like waves.
The square shattered like cookie crumbs, as if hit by an earthquake. Traps installed overnight included.
"No way......?"
"The bond between author and reader is pure and innocent."
O Dok-seo's eyes narrowed.
"Adding such filthy tricks to that blank slate is unconscionable. Utterly vile."
"You're the vile one, you crazy bitch!"
Unable to endure, an awakener bellowed.
"We didn't ask for daily updates! We'd worship you like a dog for one chapter a month! Suck you off! But who the fuck decided to go indefinite hiatus anyway?"
"Author, we're so disappointed!"
"You can't even apologize to people who waited seven years—instead you punch them? Literature girl! Are you even human?!"
O Dok-seo scoffed.
Then closed her eyes.
"I see nothing."
"What?"
"Nothing visible, nothing audible. Because I choose not to see or hear. This seat's will dictates reality. And this seat's reality is eternal hiatus."
―(Beep)―(Beeeep)――(Beep)――!
Uncensorable KakaoPage-level curses exploded from all sides.
Greetings flew to O Dok-seo's parents; her species ping-ponged from primate to mammal. Yet she remained serene.
She couldn't hear.
"You heaven-defying scum!"
Finally, one charged out. Not pure rage.
Hearing and sight—humanity's key senses—disabled. Cold calculus: strike now or never.
But the awakener overlooked one thing.
As proven, 888th round O Dok-seo was no 'human.'
"Hup!"
Just before the blade grazed her cheek, O Dok-seo swung her fist.
Kwaaaaang!
Left fist twisted the blade; right smashed the foe's gut dead-on. Fist pressure unleashed a gale.
Guhk—the awakener vomited blood. Collapsed without a scream. One strike.
"Slow. Even in falling."
"......!"
"When this seat stomped earlier, did you think it merely destroyed traps? Laughable. My qi permeates the entire square—we are one now. No step, no gesture escapes my tactile sense."
Every otaku's dream: personal bounded field!
Naturally, O Dok-seo toiled seven years to manifest her delusions.
Such potential from the start—that's why the old 'Mansang Leisure operator' chose her as the regressor's nemesis.
"Too pathetic; no need to drag it out weeks."
O Dok-seo cracked one eye, grinning sleazily.
Every pose oozed dense otaku energy, innately provoking indescribable rage in viewers.
"Come at me. If you wish, all 26 can challenge in sequence right here."
"Tch."
Cheon Yo-hwa bit her lip.
Backing down after such insult would tarnish Baekhwa Girls' High School's face!
"...No choice. Send out challengers 24 through one in order! Victory doesn't matter! Drain that baby author's stamina however you can!"
Tap. O Dok-seo beckoned with a finger.
"Come."
The result: consecutive defeats.
Top Korean awakeners charged, yet none lasted—from one exchange short, twenty long—falling one by one.
Even final challenger Cheon Yo-hwa lost.
Onlookers were aghast. How could a mere writer wield such ferocious martial arts!
Even delving all voids, grinding levels in [Reincarnation Project]'s dream sim—could a person grow this strong?
Just because 'I hate writing' 'So I'll do other stuff'?
—Surprisingly, yes.
O Dok-seo and the 25 readers sprawled like corpses proved it.
"Hoo. Disappointing. Even the Baekhwa Demon Head amounts to this."
"Urgh......!"
Cheon Yo-hwa groaned, heel ground into her skull.
Lifetime humiliation meme uploading live to onlookers' brains.
"No readers remain to block this seat's hiatus. Despite a deathmatch, this seat spared your lives in mercy—remember this grace and never urge serialization."
"Ah, not yet....... One left......!"
"Hm?"
"Out of the 28 readers in the notice... including me, 27 are down. So one more remains!"
O Dok-seo tilted her head.
"You were the strongest among my readers. What difference does one more make against this seat?"
"He's here!"
"Intriguing. Who?"
Tears welled in Cheon Yo-hwa's eyes.
She screamed with remaining qi.
"Teaaaaacher! Help ussss!"
Flinch.
O Dok-seo recoiled. Whirled around frantically.
No need for endless searching.
Soon spotting me, O Dok-seo's eyes widened.
"T-Te... Teacher."
"......"
"W-When did you... get here?"
I felt a twinge sorry for retraumatizing her from seven years ago, but first, the human thing to say.
"Dok-seo. Your speech sounds too dumb right now, so talk like old times."
"Ehk."
"To your question: obviously from the start."
For seven years, the Saintess's [Clairvoyance] monitored O Dok-seo; I subscribed to my disciple's growth via her.
Why not?
You all remember: back in 555th round, my first interest in O Dok-seo was 'just 'cause it's fun.'
Given regressors GG from boredom in countless works, honey poison Dok-seo lit up my life.
I wore a somber expression.
"Why? Didn't expect me here? I'm always the first reader of your writing—how could I miss this? Dodging voids as excuse to go out daily, avoiding me—you think I wouldn't see through it?"
"U-Uncle......"
"You asked me one, so I'll ask you one."
I scanned the wrecked square, rag-doll Cheon Yo-hwa, finally O Dok-seo.
Her aura now closer to Fist King than writer.
"Answer your uncle honestly."
"Yeah......"
"Dok-seo, you became a fallen one, didn't you?"
"Ah. Yeah."
Yes.
Well, figured as much.......