Only I Am A Reader

"I surrender!"

…

"I give up!"

"I will leave if you let me!"

"I give up…"

"I surrender…"

"We will…"

What started as a few loud words that echoed through the silent battlefield soon turned into a shouting match between the 'soldiers' of the Liberation Army.

Once even one of them publicly hesitated, it was only a matter of seconds before their collective psyche broke down!

'Ah.'

Brought back to reality by the heartful declarations, Leo lamented how magically brief his experience as a Profound was.

His 'Character Reading' wasn't cut short, but it sure felt like it. No amount of time was enough when it came to feeling that elevated.

[ Plot Change Confirmed. Legendary Event Occurrence has been detected. ]

[ The Reader's character has exterminated the Protagonist! ]

[ Plot Change Confirmed. Legendary Event Occurrence has been detected. ]

[ The Reader's character has vanquished the Murim Lord's Lingering Spirit! ]

[ You have received 2999 Reading Points! ]

[ As the Events' ratings exceed the reward limit, a specified bonus will be given! ]

[ Your peak personal skill has been chosen, bonus designation is in process… ]

[ Your peak personal skill has been chosen, bonus designation is in process… ]

[ Double Legendary! Special bonus applied! ]

[ Plot Device Namgung Geom's 'Swordsmanship' is temporarily available for reading… ]

[ Supporting Character Cheon Chang's 'Spearmanship' is temporarily available for reading… ]

[ Reading Attribute, 'Skill Reading', has been activated! ]

'No wonder…'

Only when Leo got to steal a glance at his personal book did the whole sequence of events finally make sense to him. He had experienced delayed cognition!

The reason his battle with Namgung Hyun ended so quickly was simply because he had grown that much better. By the time he clashed with him, Leo had already taken a deep look into 'Spearmanship' through the Absolute Spear's eyes.

It was just that Leo ended up perceiving the details at a delayed point in time due to the limited capacity of the human brain. Too much was going on just a moment ago that Leo's perception of time was momentarily warped.

'This is the first time.'

This wasn't the only special point about this occurrence, this was actually the first time that Leo had 'Read' someone other than the protagonist!

He had technically read the Murim Lord before, but that was merely done by glancing through Geochin's eyes and mind. This time, Leo had directly read Namgung Geom himself!

This was exactly why this experience felt much more real and grounded this time. In addition to getting a true glimpse into two of the greatest Weapon Grandmasters' skills, the ethereal element that encompassed the protagonists' skills wasn't there.

Whether it was Ray or Geochin, an aura of unattainability always seemed to surround the experience that Leo 'Read', diluting its effects. This time, however, there was no such censorship!

"Go!"

Just as Leo grasped the essence of his experience, Yeon gave a direct command on the battlefield that she now dominated as the leader of the Heavenly Strength Society.

Dun, dun, dun, dun…

Having received permission to run for their lives, the formerly fearsome army of locusts scurried out of the field without any further questions.

"Hurrah!"

Unfortunately, not everyone was smart enough to appreciate the miracle of mercy. Like zealots who had no other way out, a few soldiers ran straight to their death despite the fact that they were now severely outnumbered.

"I will not succumb to your tyranny!"

Not to mention the cannon fodder, the most stubborn ones were still the Unrestrained Martial Artists of the Liberation Army.

After all, the weak could be brainwashed and grouped together by manipulating collective mentality. However, the strong ones had to actually believe in a cause to support it, and 'fate' dictated that many believed in the underdog's unconventional cause.

"Can't you just shut up and call it a day?"

Regrettably for them, they still didn't have the advantage when it came to the upper side. With the pressure of war finally easing down, the Fist Lord led the Heavenly Strength Society's Unrestrained Powerhouses to stomp down their enemies with absolute confidence.

The reinforcements had just arrived not too long ago, but they almost found themselves unneeded. Suddenly a volley of energy was launched out of their midst, obliterating one of the Liberation Army's Unrestrained within mere seconds.

"...The Heavenly Arrow is here!"

The retired Pillar who had been thought to have cowardly retreated against the ominous threat had still chosen to march to the battlefield alongside the reinforcements even before the final outcome was decided!

'The Society's bond runs thicker than blood.'

For a moment, Leo wondered if he even needed to contribute to the battle any further.

The incomparable synergy that the Heavenly Strength Society displayed now that they were no longer at an absolute disadvantage made cleaning up the battlefield feel like a walk in the park.

'... No.'

However, such lazy thoughts were quickly vanquished the very next second. Regardless of the situation, everyone was giving it their all including both Yeon and his Senior Brother!

Rather than basking in the glory of having successfully held the fort during her first war as the Leader of the Society, Yeon was as diligent as ever.

Even Cheon Chang didn't spare himself a moment to enjoy the breakthrough that he had been awaiting for decades. Instead, he was using his newfound strength to wreak even more havoc on the battlefield.

'I don't get to skip the cleanup scene this time.'

This wasn't just a page that he could flip through… This was the culmination of all the effort that he had made to reach this point, and he had to see it through!

Thankfully, with a Profound Martial Artist on the scene, the whole process was still sped through under the open jaws of the observers. The Heavenly Strength Society was far from being the dried husk that everyone advertised it to be!

Even then…

'It's not exactly over yet.'

Rather than just deal with the war's cleanup, Leo still had to deal with the aftermath of the whole novel…

[ Main Quest Accomplished: The Protagonist has been killed! ]

[ You can choose to exit the book within the next 240 hours. Otherwise, your 'True Reading' experience will be automatically suspended at the end of the allotted time. ]

…All while preparing for his imminent departure.