I swallowed my curses. If the Fourth Wall became thinner...There was a strange pain during the battle that I had forgotten. The cuts on my s.h.i.+n and arms were sore. My sweaty s.h.i.+rt was more uncomfortable and the heat of the forest made me dizzy. I would"ve exercised more if I knew this would happen.
A spiked club flew towards my head. I rolled my body and avoided a goblin"s attack. My joints creaked as I moved hastily. The goblin followed my avoidance path with the club like they were catching a mole. The fuzz on the back of my hand rose as blood stained the th.o.r.n.y club. It was obviously a smell I"ve encountered many times but it was strange.
[The Fourth Wall has become very thin.]
[The "Fourth Wall" is shaking dangerously.]
I jumped up from my position and corrected my sword posture. The two goblins lost their companion and were surrounding me with red eyes. At any time, they would rush forward and kill me. The moment I read this desire, the fear of death came to me.
Beyond the thinning Fourth Wall, the emotions I had ignored were gus.h.i.+ng out. The story I looked at was actually something like this.
I controlled my trembling breaths. I had to fight. I could fight. All my companions fought through this fear. I was the only one who cowardly avoided the pain using the wall.
「 Kim Dokja held Unbroken Faith with trembling hands. 」
Let"s think. How could I hurt the goblins with my current body? Skills couldn"t be used but stigmas were still available. The level was reset but it was possible to use stigmas. The problem was how to apply the stigma. I saw the approaching goblin and cast Song of the Sword.
[This isn"t your stigma.]
[The effect of the stigma is fixed to the minimum.]
「 The second day. Sunny. I went out early and checked the weapons. 」
Unbroken Faith emitted a faint sheen and returned to its original state. It would"ve been nice if a fire arrow emerged, s.h.i.+t. It was comforting to feel that my sword was a bit lighter.
Kieeek?
The goblin laughed at my resistance and swung its th.o.r.n.y club. The club hit the sword and my wrist seemed to break.
The goblins looked sloppy but they were more powerful than humans. They were monsters optimized for survival on this island.
Then the second club flew towards my waist. It was too late to block it with my sword. I swung my feet and kicked the club. There was the sensation of thorns piercing the soles of my feet. I but my lips from the terrible pain. The angry goblins cried out at the smell of blood. If the stigma couldn"t be used then I had to try the second method.
[The giant story "Demon World"s Spring" is responding to your will.]
On this island, skills were sealed and the proficiency of the stigmas was reset. This didn"t mean there was no power available.
[The giant story "Torch That Swallowed the Myth" is responding to your will.]
Something existed even in the first generation without magic circles. It was stories.
[Currently, you can"t exercise control over these stories with your power.]
[Your stories are rejecting your domination.]
The problem was that my strength was drastically reduced and the stories didn"t listen to me.
[The giant story "Demon World"s Spring" is looking at you with regret.]
[The giant story "Torch That Swallowed the Myth" covets your weakened body.]
Blood rose inside me because of the heat. The goblins momentarily shrank back from the power of the stories felt from me but they soon recovered their momentum and rushed forward.
The stigma was blocked and the stories didn"t listen to me. I gritted my teeth as I watched the incoming goblins. In the end, there was only the last method. I hadn"t wanted to use this if possible.
It happened the moment I firmed up my heart and raised my magic power. A dagger flew through the bush and pierced the goblin"s head. The goblin collapsed in front of me. The blade headed towards the other goblin"s neck with fantastic swordplay.
I watched the girl"s ponytail flying and sighed with relief.
"Ajuss.h.i.+, are you okay?"
The mud-covered Lee Jihye turned her head and stared at me.
***
In fact, the use of Song of the Sword wasn"t just to confront the goblins. Like the system message stated, Song of the Sword wasn"t my stigma. If I used this stigma, the master of it would surely become aware of my existence.
"...Phew, I"m glad it is Ahjussi."
Lee Jihye washed her face in the stream. Lee Jihye had also experienced a considerable degree of hards.h.i.+p.
"What the h.e.l.l is this place? Skills and stigmas are all useless. I would"ve died if I hadn"t received training from Grandfather Kyrgios.
"Are you injured?"
"No. I hid well. By the way, what"s wrong with you?"
"It just happened."
I was placing the Cut Medicine received from Lee Seolhwa on my wounds. I couldn"t believe I was injured this much fighting the goblins. I couldn"t guess how hard it would be in the future.
Lee Jihye watched me and grabbed the Cut Medicine like she was frustrated. "Give it to me. You can"t apply it to your back."
Lee Jihye placed the Cut Medicine on my wounds.
"Be gentle. I might die if you press hard against it."
"Don"t be a crybaby. By the way, were you this small?"
"My muscle ma.s.s was just reduced a bit."
"Your shoulders look similar to mine?"
My pride was hurt so I took back the Cut Medicine. No, I tried to take it back but failed. It was because Lee Jihye was more powerful than me.
Lee Jihye spoke in warning, "If you move, your shoulder will break."
It had been a long time since I felt so helpless.
"Now, it"s all done."
The effect of Lee Seolhwa"s Cut Medicine was quite good despite the probability of the first generation. It wasn"t dramatic but the wounds covered by the Cut Medicine were healing quickly. There were magic and martial arts even in the first generation.
Lee Jihye and I continued to walk through the forest after taking care of my wounds. Fortunately, night was coming. Lee Jihye measured the smoke rising from the centre of the island.
"It seems we will have to camp here today?"
I nodded. We can move all night but night time skills weren"t available and we could meet enemies that were much worse than the goblins.
[The night of the island has come.]
[At night, some of the system"s functions are restored.]
[The Dokkaebi Bag feature is now available.]
I immediately opened the Dokkaebi Bag and bought a few necessary items. There was portable accommodation for two people and safety devices for securing the perimeter. There ware also recovery items, just in case.
Lee Jihye received the items from me and blinked. "What? You could buy something like this in the first generation?"
"In the end, the coin usage scenarios remain the same."
Whether it was the first generation, second generation or third generation, the essence of the scenario was money. Thus, it was obvious that the use of the DOkkaebi Bag would be granted.
Lee Jihye was setting up the tent and looked at me like I was pathetic. "Ahjussi, I heard you"ve been to the army. Why don"t you know how to set up a tent?"
"It has been a long time since I was discharged. Why are you so good at it?"
"I was in the scouts when I was an elementary school student."
Come to think of it, there was that setting for Lee Jihye. Lee Jihye watched me struggle from the strength reduction penalty and set up my tent for me.
Night in the forest was cold. We gathered the surrounding twigs and lit a fire. In front of the blazing bonfire, Lee Jihye and I were immersed in our own thoughts. I wasn"t using Omniscient Reader"s Viewpoint but I could see that Lee Jihye wanted to say something. I patiently waited.
Lee Jihye threw a dried branch onto the burning flames and finally raised her courage. "Ahjussi, can I ask you something?"
"Ask."
"When did that novel start?"
I thought this question would come out. I decided to answer honestly. "More than 10 years ago."
My memories were a bit dim but I hadn"t forgotten what happened in the days when I first clicked on Ways of Survival.
"How do I appear in the novel?"
The question was normal. I would also be curious if I was in Lee Jihye"s shoes. I took my time to recall the description of Lee Jihye.
Admiral Lee Jihye. The girl who pulled out her sword to protect her companions. Her pride was strong but she was more affectionate than anyone else. Her heart was always revealed on her face.
I tried not to touch on Lee Jihye"s wounds as much as possible as I carefully chose the details to tell her. Lee Jihye had a suspicious look on her face as she opened her mouth. "It"s so good that I feel bad. There was that much detail?"
"The novel is a bit long."
"Even so... Oh, how do you remember all the details?"
"I read it a lot."
"Still, to remember it so meticulously... I feel bad."
This was my only answer. "I was a middle school student at the time and my only hobby was reading the novel."
"Ahjussi was a middle school student? Puhahat, then you were younger than me when you first read it? That"s ridiculous."
"Everyone was 15 years old once."
[The constellation "Abyssal Black Flame Dragon" is raising his head.]
Lee Jihye laughed like she heard something interesting. "That"s right. I was also 15 once."
Lee Jihye looked down at her sheath with nostalgic eyes. A small keyring was hanging from the sheath. I read Ways of Survival so I naturally knew the ident.i.ty of the keyring.
"Are you okay?"
"...Do you know about this keyring?"
"A little bit."
"There is nothing private."
The keyring Lee Jihye always carried with her was given by her friend who died in the first scenario.
The sentences of Ways of Survival pa.s.sed through my mind.
「 "Jihye. Kill me. It"s okay." 」
Lee Jihye was the wounded Sword Demon. Even if her characterization changed one day, this face wouldn"t change. Lee Jihye was a person who never forgot the sins she committed.
"Do you know what happens to me at the end of the novel?"
Lee Jihye"s words caused a story I had long forgotten to appear in my mind. I knew the ending of Ways of Survival.
Jingle.
Then a bill ringing entered my ears. It was a sound from the safety device I placed beforehand. The sound of the bell soon continued in a horror-like rhythm, as if to rip off my ears.
Jingle. Jingle. Jingle. Jingle.
Jingle. Jingle. Jingle. Jingle.
"Ahjussi."
Something was coming this way. It wasn"t a goblin or orc based on the interval of the ringing. It was a much stronger monster. I gauged the direction of the rising smoke and said, "You will live to the end and be happy. It was the same in the novel."
It was a lie. However, the novel was a lie in the first place. I lived so far to make my lies a reality.
"Run towards the village. I will buy time."
"I don"t want to! Ahjussi, you run away! Aren"t you weaker than me?"
"You can"t deal with this monster. It isn"t possible even if we join forces."
Lee Jihye was only able to deal with goblins with her current abilities. I spoke calmly, "Go to the village quickly and get help. That way, both you and I can survive. You can move faster than me."
"But..."
"Hurry! I have some way to avoid it!"
"Really?"
"Of course. Don"t you know who I am?"
Lee Jihye nodded as if relieved. "Hold on for a while! I will bring back help!"
A few seconds after Lee Jihye disappeared, a giant green monster appeared in the forest. It was a monster over three metres with a terrifying atmosphere.
d.a.m.n, it was a troll, not an orc. I was lying when I said there was a way to avoid it. The entire party couldn"t cope with this troll. It would be good if they weren"t wiped out.
Grrr...
The troll found me and revealed horrible teeth as it laughed. The troll"s iron club was covered with fragments of the constellations, as if it had already broken the heads of numerous constellations.
I smiled bitterly and gripped the sword. I would probably die from just one hit of that club. At least, if there was no one to help me.
Grrrrrrr!
In the first place, this island was impossible to attack in a normal way. As always, there were hidden pieces in impossible scenarios. It was time for them to show up, according to the original novel.
The moment the troll"s growl soared into the sound, a piercing sound was heard. A familiar blade was piercing the belly of the troll. It was Lee Jihye.
"I knew this would happen. You are a liar."
「 The admiral doesn"t abandon her colleagues, even if it means dying. 」
This operation was possible from the beginning because I believed in Lee Jihye. The angry troll drew out the sword and made a strange noise. The wound was restored in an instant. It threw the sword and Lee Jihye laughed from beside me.
"Let"s die together, Ahjussi."
I saw the troll running towards us and laughed too. Lee Jihye wouldn"t die. The history of her life would eventually save her. The moment the troll"s club fell, a sound was heard from the forest.
...It came. A silver sword split apart the darkness. I watched carefully. The pure sword that wasn"t an ether blade cut the fearsome troll"s neck like a toy.
「 The favourite themes of the first generation forgotten people are love, friends.h.i.+p and romance. 」
First generation. One of the oldest stories in the Star Stream. The master of that story was talking. "Sacrificing your lives for your colleagues? This is the first time in 381 years."
I looked closer and it wasn"t only one person.
"There was no need to speak. They are such friends."
"Really, there are still good stories out there."
The laughing voices spread out. Something was strange. This wasn"t in the original novel. Then I saw the faces of those walking out of the darkness.
"It"s been a long time. Has it only been three years in outside world time?"
Surprisingly, it was someone I already knew.
TL: Rainbow Turtle