A strong hand grabbed my shoulders. I reflexively turned my body and punched out. There was a thud and my fist was caught in a big hand.
「 (Oh, did you come to fight?) 」
The darkness was lifted and a white face was revealed.
「 (I saved you once before. You must"ve already forgotten.) 」
It was a face I knew. Even... it was someone I killed.
"Why are you here?"
「 (...Are you really asking because you don"t know?) 」
It was an ambiguous face where it wasn"t clear if the person was male or female. It gave me a feeling of incomprehensibility. This presence shouldn"t be here.
"Nirvana Moebius."
A long time ago, he was eaten by the Fourth Wall.
***
What happened to the beings who were eaten by the Fourth Wall? I had this question from the first moment the Fourth Wall ate something.
「 (It is as you can see. This is what happened.) 」
Nirvana laughed. We hadn"t met for a while but Nirvana was just the same as our first meeting. If there was one difference, the letters making up Ways of Survival was hanging on his body like a shackle.
"You"ve been alive here the whole time?"
「 (It"s hard to say this is living.) 」
Looking closer, Nirvana"s voice didn"t flow out of his mouth. I couldn"t even say it was a voice. Nirvana stared up at the air.
「(I"m living thanks to that d.a.m.n parasitic wall.) 」
At this moment, the warning of the Fourth Wall echoed.
「 Nir va na talk ing too much. 」
Nirvana laughed. His eyes were bitter but there was a strange uplifting sensation from him. I followed Nirvana"s gaze and looked around the library. There were numerous types of letterforms that made up a world. In this place, everything was Ways of Survival.
"Now you know everything you"ve ever wanted."
「 (There is no ent.i.ty that knows everything. Just like you.) 」
Nirvana really seemed like a mysterious sage. I felt strange. For the first time, a character learnt the secrets of this world.
"How do you feel? Now you know that you are a character in a novel."
Nirvana"s expression changed at my provocation.
「 (A novel... is that what you really think?) 」
Nirvana looked at me with pitying eyes and his lips shook several times. However, no sound emerged. I was frustrated. "What is it? Finish it to the end."
Nirvana smiled quietly.
「 (I like your story.) 」
I was embarra.s.sed by the unexpected words.
「 (To be precise, I like the story you have changed. The sentences that feel your will, the context that contains things you don"t say...) 」
"...What are you saying now?"
I stepped back in an awkward manner. I looked at his b.a.s.t.a.r.d and remembered his words before his death.
「(It isn"t just me. All the beings here love your story.) 」
"Who else is in this place?"
The air started shaking and a few dark shards fell from the ceiling. The vibrations were like something giant was burrowing this way. Nirvana picked up the fragments and frowned.
「 (There is no time so you better move quickly. It isn"t good to talk too much here. Something terrible will happen.) 」
Nirvana started walking before I could ask anything. I followed Nirvana while looking back at the cliff I had almost fallen off. The vibrations in the library were spreading from the cliff. "Wait, where are you going?"
「 (There is someone who wants to meet you the most.) 」
"What? Who?"
「 (It is the existence who organized the shelves from 000.) 」
...Organized the shelves?
「 (We aren"t just here to play. If we don"t clean up properly, you won"t remember it.) 」
"...Wait, what does that mean?"
「 (You don"t need to understand.) 」
I turned and saw new bookshelves appearing. The library was really s.p.a.cious. Ways of Survival increased the number of rounds that were skipped in the second half. Perhaps this library had arranged all those omissions. A signpost saying [000~100] appeared in front of me.
「 (It"s here. Then have a good conversation.) 」
I turned the corner and saw a familiar creature. It was the "minimum" size compared to what I saw in the past but it was definitely the existence I knew.
12 tentacles were being used to pick up books on the floor. There was a squid-like body controlling those tentacles. There was something like horn-rimmed spectacles placed on a small hole that was presumed to be the eye.
"...You were here."
The squid looked this way. The 12 tentacles nodded simultaneously.
「 (The poor truthseeker came.) 」
It was the Eater of Dreams. In Dark Castle, I defeated it with the help of Cheok Jungyeong and the Fourth Wall. He was swallowed up by the Fourth Wall and ended up in this s.p.a.ce.
"Did you want to see me?"
「 (I want to help you.) 」
Something that was presumed to be the squid"s mouth looked pleased. I didn"t know how to respond to this different species gesture.
"I don"t know what you"re saying all of a sudden. I need some time to figure out the situation..."
「 (There isn"t much time.) 」
"Why are you trying to help me?"
「 (With your help, I have reached the truth of the universe. n.o.ble beings will pay back their debts.) 」
n.o.ble beings. In fact, it wasn"t strange for the Eater of Dreams to call itself that. This squid was strong enough to chew up the constellations making a fuss outside. "Then I have one thing to ask."
「 (Go ahead.) 」
"Who created this library?"
At this moment, huge sparks popped up and my body crashed into a bookshelf. 12 tentacles stretched out at the same time, holding my body to the bookcase. He looked at the falling books and the Eater of Dreams pushed up his gla.s.ses.
「 (It does not const.i.tute a question. Ask another question.) 」
I bit my lips and thought about it. It was meaningless to ask a question related to Ways of Survival right now. It was possible to read the second revision and there was a way to come back to this s.p.a.ce and read the related questions.
In other words, I had to ask a question that wasn"t recorded in Ways of Survival. It was also a question that the "outer G.o.d" had to answer. Finding the question wasn"t difficult.
"Who is Secretive Plotter?"
Strong sparks once again sprung up. I was worried that my body would be thrown back again but fortunately, the sparks were weaker this time.
「(Are you curious about the great plotter?) 」
The tentacles moved very slowly.
「(He is one of the oldest beings in this universe...) 」
I was hearing information about Secretive Plotter for the first time.
「(The most solitary being in the universe, the one who fights against the oldest dream.) 」
"How do I know if you are just saying this? Let me know the right modifier―"
「 (A modifier is meaningless for him. However, he will help you if you want.) 」
"Help? How..."
「(Make an Otherworld Covenant with him.) 」
The Otherworld Covenant. I knew what it was. In the fifth scenario, the Absolute Throne that I destroyed was a type of covenant. However, there was never a good end to a covenant in Ways of Survival.
"I can"t do that."
A few tentacles nodded like they were heads.
「 (I thought so. You hate higher level beings.) 」
"I won"t be able to create the story I want if I borrow your strength."
「 (You are now someone who can"t be controlled.) 」
I felt strange. I didn"t think an "outer G.o.d" would say this.
「 (You need to think again about your anger. In order to reach the end, it is necessary to properly consider the things you can use.) 」
Dudududu!
「( This world is heading towards ■■. It hasn"t been written yet but it has already been written. The great plotter can help you. So that you can find the right way...) 」
"I believe in the stories I have acc.u.mulated."
Dudududu!
The gap in vibrations was gradually shortening. The Eater of Dreams spoke like he was resigned to my stubborn will.
「 (...Unfortunately, there is no more time. Remember that the great plotter is always waiting for you.) 」
One of the tentacles wound around me. Meanwhile, the other tentacles moved quickly and started looking for something on the shelves. The book he found was:
[Yoo Jonghyuk, 38rd record of the 3rd round.]
The pages turned quickly. I realized what was going to happen and hurriedly opened my mouth.
"Wait a minute. I still have something to ask!"
「(Goodbye, ■■"s Apostle. If the probability allows it, we will meet again.) 」
The pages of the book opened and sentences appeared on the blank pages in real time.
「 Yoo Jonghyuk had a thought. 」
「 Wake up quickly, Kim Dokja. 」
「 Otherwise everyone will die. 」
...Dammit, this was why I was forced to leave. The next moment, I was sucked into the context of the sentences.
***
The battlefield was a ruin. Yoo Jonghyuk wiped his b.l.o.o.d.y lips while looking at the bodies of the incarnations on the ground and the approaching constellations.
The combination of the transcendent dog Breaking the Sky Master and the constellation Osu was amazing. They didn"t mind their broken bodies and were biting at the rus.h.i.+ng great-grade constellations.
Thanks to this, Cleopatra in the front was a mess while King Oedipus had nasty bite wounds all over his body.
It was reasonably okay when dealing with great-grade constellations.
[Disgusting! You dare to call yourselves constellations when you can"t even deal with such bugs?]
However, the narrative-grade constellations watching from the rear came out and the situation completely reversed.
s.h.i.+n Yoosung"s chimera dragon and the Thunder Eating Bird crashed down. Lee Hyunsung had his Steel Transformation shattered by the General of Vanara"s fist and he was rolling on the ground. Yoo Sangah was somehow managing to fight despite coughing up blood several times, but this seemed to be her limit.
Osu was stabbed by the Founder of Humanity"s Primitive Spear and staggered to the ground. Osu"s incarnation body was stabbed and the Breaking the Sky Master also staggered.
They opened the limits allowed by the probability of the 25th scenario. It wasn"t 100% power but the powerful "status" that the parties present brought out filled the entire Demon World with dazzling white sparks.
This was the strength of the beings called constellations. They were beings who came from the highest place in this world.
Yoo Jonghyuk asked, "Why are you doing this?"
[The constellation "Supreme G.o.d of Light" is laughing quietly.]
"It looks like you don"t have to have the history of being defeated by bugs."
Surya"s cheeks subtly twitched at these words. The opening of the Lokapala"s status caused the expressions of the constellations to change. The opening of an excessive force caused sparks to appear around Surya"s body. However, Surya looked confident like he could afford it.
[Kuwaaaaaang!]
He released his "status" and dealt one blow. However, the whole area became a terrible mess. The nearby structures were turned to ashes and the fleeing incarnations were destroyed. People collapsed while blood emerged from all orifices.
[Some constellations are dissatisfied with the progression of the scenario!]
[The constellation "Demon-like Judge of Fire" is greatly angry!]
[The demon king "Overlord of the Great Demon Castle" is pleased.]
[The demon king "Maker of Discord" is excited!]
[Many constellations are excited about the great battle!]
Lee Hyunsung was defending in front and blood poured from his ears and mouth. Yoo Jonghyuk grabbed Lee Hyunsung"s shoulder.
"Back off, Lee Hyunsung. This is an opponent you can"t go against."
Lee Hyunsung reflexively tried to say something but even that seemed hard. Yoo Jonghyuk left the faltering Lee Hyunsung behind him and walked forward while wiping the blood off the Black Demon Sword.
It was a desperate situation. His Sage"s Eyes was a.n.a.lyzing the battlefield in real time. The number of constellations visible at the moment was almost 20. Some of the great-grade constellations were eliminated from the field but it wasn"t a number he could win against.
「 Young disciple, no. You will die if you open that power! 」
The Breaking the Sky Master instinctively realized what Yoo Jonghyuk was going to do. However, Yoo Jonghyuk"s will was stubborn.
Yoo Jonghyuk slowly raised his power and huge sparks appeared. He knew he wasn"t their opponent. However, it was always like this.
-Once you reach transcendence stage three, you can gain the power to destroy constellations.
The words left behind by his teacher were the only comfort that Yoo Jonghyuk now believed in. This time, he was using a shortcut to raise his power. This didn"t mean the power was a lie because he used a shortcut.
A dazzling aura burst from Yoo Jonghyuk"s body. Soft hair poured down like a waterfall while his large size became a smaller and sleeker body. He took the form that allowed him to practice the ultimate Breaking the Sky Swordsmans.h.i.+p. Yoo Sangah stared at the scene from behind and couldn"t help opening her mouth. "...Yoo Jonghyuk-ssi?"
Yoo Jonghyuk slowly turned back, his long hair cut off by the Black Demon Sword. The ines of the face had changed but it was clearly Yoo Jonghyuk. No, it was even more than before. Yoo Jonghyuk"s gaze stayed on Kim Dokja"s face for a moment.
"Take him away."
Yoo Jonghyuk turned his head and wiped the blade of the Black Demon Sword. The constellations who were laughing at him were approaching.
King Oedipus opened his mouth. [Foolish transcendent. This is the cost of going against the constellations. You will die here.]
Yoo Jonghyuk replied while still wiping his blade. "I guess so. However, some of you will die too."
[Haha, it is useless! The extinction of an incarnation body...]
Yoo Jonghyuk didn"t listen. Instead, he was reminded of Kim Dokja"s words.
"Don"t give up on this life."
"Then in the next life, half of you will die."
Yoo Jonghyuk"s voice rang out quietly through the battlefield. Yoo Jonghyuk raised his head along with the Black Demon Sword. The footsteps of the constellations stopped for the first time. The power of transcendence was threatening the surroundings.
"In the next life, all of you will die."
The Black Demon Sword"s cry seemed to touch the sky. The expressions of the constellations stiffened as Yoo Jonghyuk concluded his words.
"You will die forever."
TL Note: Work went longer than expected today. Second chapter will either come in a few hours or there will be three chapters tomorrow. In addition, made a small change to the last chapter, by swapping around the numbers of the Yoo Jonghyuk records.