Omniscient Reader

The sight of Jeong Hui-Won running forward could be seen .

She slid among the "Nameless Ones" like the moonlight sliding off the blade .

The answer she was searching for was there .

[Incarnation Jeong Hui-Won"s ■■ is "Salvation" . ]

Everyone had their own ■■ . Finally, the moment of choosing their own conclusions had arrived for the "s companions .

“Jeong Hui-Won!”

Her [Judge"s Sword] drew a spectacular trajectory . The companions watched that sword trajectory and hurriedly chased after her .

Yi Gil-Yeong was about to leap into the air along with Yu Sang-Ah, but had to stop because of a girl was about to be left behind .

“s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung… . ”

s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung standing there all alone, was crying . Standing in the exact same location as before, her feet not going anywhere, and her gaze fixed on one spot – it was quite clear what she was looking at right now .

[Fable, "Saviour of a Star", is continuing on with its storytelling . ]

It was the Fable that only s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung possessed .

A Constellation and an Incarnation, connected through that radiating starlight . The light emitted by the Fable was so beautiful and radiant that Yi Gil-Yeong unknowingly reached out towards s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung .

⸢Yi Gil-Yeong was envious of s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung . ⸥

Just what was it like for one person to understand another?

He was too young to truly understand the meaning of the word "understand" itself . Sometimes he"d feel this sense of deprivation because of that, but on the other hand, he actually liked the fact that his age could be used as an excuse .

⸢It"s possible for you to not get it yet . But, that"s okay . ⸥

⸢You don"t need to do this, but I"m sorry that we have to rely on you, Gil-Yeong-ah… . ⸥

⸢Hey, kid, stop showing off and get back . ⸥

He was relieved . He even thought that it was a fortunate thing .

It was fortunate that he got to meet such people in a world like this one . People that he could rely on and act like a child, yet still could remind him with the fact that he was indeed a child .

⸢However, s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung was here, too⸥

There was another child with them who didn"t act like one . It was a girl who always looked up at a star . Yi Gil-Yeong also looked up at the same star – the star he liked . He knew very well the sorrowful light that star emitted, and how its colour would change when it tried to hide its true intentions or tried to lie .

⸢However, he didn"t know as well as s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung did . ⸥

“How long are you going to stand around dazed like that? Let"s go . ”

s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung absentmindedly turned her head towards him . While meeting her gaze, Yi Gil-Yeong s.n.a.t.c.hed up her hand . Then, the two kids began running . Sweat filled the tightly-held small hand .

"I don"t understand Dok-Jhyung as much as s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung . "

She was the Incarnation of the Constellation, "Demon King of Salvation" . No one could pry them apart or get in between them .

“You think you"re the only one worried about hyung? You think you"re the only one feeling sad?”

Yi Gil-Yeong shouted without even looking back and continued to drag s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung . He hated the idea of looking younger than her . But for at least today, he wanted to behave like a child .

“I don"t like the Han River . I like oceans better . And I don"t like pizza but prefer fried chicken . ”

He too had been saved by that star, that"s why .

“Going to the PC Bang! Playing phone games! And… . !”

The star he liked so much could be seen in the distance . However, it didn"t look like a star now .

“And, also… . ”

The star, the subject of jealousy and envy from the Constellations that ruled the heavens, was now… . .

… . Now looked like a scary great demon from the webtoons the boy enjoyed reading so much .

The moment that huge head with tentacles wiggling about turned in his direction, Yi Gil-Yeong"s running legs froze still .

The king of another world, now grown to a height even taller than a skysc.r.a.per .

The "Enemy of the Story . "

The villain who would destroy this world .

⸢Did that demon look like Kim Dok-Ja to s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung?⸥

“I… . ”

Yi Gil-Yeong muttered while trying to fight against his body"s trembling . Against the fear that that thing might not be Kim Dok-Ja he used to know .

[Do not get fooled!]

[That creature will destroy this world!]

[He"s a being that only cares about himself . To him, your survival holds no meaning at all . ]

Actually, the Kim Dok-Ja he had been looking at was wrong .

⸢”Hyung, are you a G.o.d?”

“… . Wha?”

“Or, are you the "protagonist"?”⸥

The fear that the words spoken by the Dokkaebis turned out to be correct .

⸢”I"m not a G.o.d nor am I a protagonist . In fact, I"ve been always envious of the real protagonist . ”⸥

Yi Gil-Yeong finally managed to stop the trembling and worked up his courage to look up . The vast Outer G.o.d"s eye was now looking straight at the boy .

Kim Dok-Ja"s heart couldn"t be seen; not a single thing about that Outer G.o.d felt like Kim Dok-Ja .

The only thing remaining was belief .

– Gil-Yeong-ah . There is more than one way to form relations.h.i.+ps .

Some time ago, he had a chat with Yu Sang-Ah regarding his dilemma related to s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung . At the time, she answered like this after closing shut the book she was reading .

– It"s similar to how different people interpret the same sentence differently . So…

Yi Gil-Yeong wasn"t much of an avid reader so that comparison didn"t resonate with him . Still…

– I think I understand .

He too had his own skill of conversing with the others .

– It kinda feels different when talking to a praying mantis and a c.o.c.kroach, you see .

The [Diverse Communication] was such a skill, that allowed him to communicate with species different than his . However, the boy lacked a skill to understand other human beings .

What kind of a person was Kim Dok-Ja? He wasn"t sure .

However, there was this one image that popped into his head first when trying to think of the person called Kim Dok-Ja – the sight of people with their heads or bodies blown up .

⸢”I"m going to trouble you for a bit . ”⸥

And then, the face of Kim Dok-Ja as he placed a gra.s.shopper within the boy"s grasp .

[Fable, "Insect King", has begun its storytelling!]

Suddenly, the surrounding view shook and a Fable began waking up within the boy .

[Constellation, "Ruler of the Deepest Pit", is grinning insidiously . ]

A swarm of yellow locusts buzzing in from somewhere swirled like a tornado and began enveloping the entire world .

⸢On that day, Yi Gil-Yeong thought to himself that it"d been nicer for the whole subway train to be flipped on its head . Just like the gra.s.shopper that died in his hands . ⸥

This incredible feast of Status caused the "Outer G.o.ds" to scream .

Constellations of began pouring out their messages .

[Constellations leaning on the Absolute Evil spectrum are warning the "Ruler of the Deepest Pit"!]

[Portion of Demon Kings are greatly astonished by the Incarnation"s power!]

The Fable flowing vigorously ignored the gazes of the Constellations and continued on with its storytelling . This story was something the boy hadn"t told any adults yet .

And it was a story that s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung, also a possessor of the [Diverse Communication], knew a little bit of .

⸢”You didn"t even have enough money so why did you go and have a kid… . ”⸥

This intense stink of the brown coal, the sight of his father and mother lying on the ground like dead c.o.c.kroaches – memories of him poking on the cold, unmoving flesh . A funeral without portraits came to an end, and the fatigued eyes of his relatives looking at him .

⸢”That girl Yeong-Mi, I knew she"d do something like this . She was told that that b.a.s.t.a.r.d wasn"t good for her, yet she… . ”⸥

⸢”So, who"s going to take that boy in? What about the eldest brother"s… . ”⸥

⸢”We can"t . There are three kids in our place already . ”⸥

Yi Gil-Yeong didn"t know the proper words to describe his life that had been rejected from a very young age . He didn"t have any ability to explain or express how big of a wound that was . And that wound continued to fester, unable to be healed or discovered .

⸢”Look for an organisation . There are places that look after kids like him . ”⸥

Yi Gil-Yeong got dragged by his aunt"s hand and climbed on the Seoul-bound train . And he felt dizzy while looking at the map of ant tunnel-like Seoul"s subway network .

There were so many tunnels here, and he didn"t know where he was heading off to .

The gra.s.shoppers inside the insect catcher cried like a lost child .

⸢”This boy, really now! Throw them away! Hurry! They don"t live all that long, anyway . So disgusting!”⸥

What would"ve happened to him if the scenarios didn"t start on that day?

“Dok-Ja hyung!”

What if he didn"t get to meet these people?

“Dok-Ja hyung! I"m over here!”

Yi Gil-Yeong cried out loudly enough to tear out his vocal cords .

It was fine if his voice couldn"t reach its target . It was fine if he wasn"t Kim Dok-Ja"s Incarnation .

⸢”Gil-Yeong-ah . If you can"t say it, then it"s okay to not say anything . However, you must remember this one thing, okay?”⸥

The boy wanted to say this to him .

⸢”When you wish to say something, this hyung will be by your side to listen . ”⸥

… . That, Dok-Ja hyung wasn"t a villain .

… . That, he was a just regular person who happened to rescue the boy from other regular people .

[Kill him! We only have to push a little bit harder!]

[They are failures from a different world-line! Do not mind it and push harder! Killing them now will end this!]

The ranks of the "Outer G.o.ds" fighting out in the front were crumbling now . One of the sides seemed to break down completely, then a group of Incarnations led by the Myth-grade Constellations began advancing towards Kim Dok-Ja . He needed to stop them somehow .

Tsu-chuchuchut!

[Applicable action is prohibited by the ⸢Bureau⸥"s Probability . ]

[The target you wish to protect is the ⸢Enemy of the Story⸥ . ]

He needed to convince them that Dok-Ja hyung wasn"t a person like that . But, how should he…

Ku-gugugugu… . .

Even as his enemies rushed in, Kim Dok-Ja simply stood there like a wall . He seemed to be saying something every so often, yet those words couldn"t be understood . Yi Gil-Yeong wanted to understand them, though . He hated leaning against the wall, all powerless and helpless . He wanted to stand on Kim Dok-Ja"s side .

He didn"t care if this sort of world was destroyed or not . If Kim Dok-Ja was the enemy of a story, then he"d also become this "Enemy of the Story", too .

However, Kim Dok-Ja was too difficult to understand for him .

He hated the fact that he was a little kid . If only he was an adult . If only he was Han Su-Yeong, Yu Jung-Hyeok, or Jeong Hui-Won…

… . If only he was s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung .

He felt the sensation of the tightly-held hand . s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung was still there .

“… . You idiot . Wake up . ”

The swarm of locusts flying around settled down .

s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung spoke up . “I can"t understand ahjussi, either . ”

[Exclusive skill, "Superlative Diverse Communication", is activating!]

“I"m just doing my best trying to understand . ”

The skill of these two kids that allowed them to control the Chimera Dragon activated simultaneously . And now, they were in the most optimum state to understand each other .

Yi Gil-Yeong couldn"t read Kim Dok-Ja . However, s.h.i.+n Yu-Seung seemed to know how, at least just a little bit .

The Fable these two read together began rocking the world . And it was as if Kim Dok-Ja"s face could be seen ever so faintly now . It seemed like the figure of Kim Dok-Ja they knew was almost within reach .

[Fable, "Saviour of the Star", is having a chat with the Fable, "Insect King!]

“Hey, kids . ”

Han Su-Yeong stood next to them as if to provide protection . And Yi Hyeon-Seong, Jeong Hui-Won, and Yu Sang-Ah stood nearby to protect them in turn .

⸢Adults looking at the world together with the kids were here . ⸥

Yi Ji-Hye"s battles.h.i.+p cast a shadow from the air . Both Gong Pil-Du and Yi Seol-Hwa could be seen near the cannons of the vessel . Yi Ji-Hye then unsheathed her sword as if to imply that she was ready to fire at any time she wanted to .

That prompted the Great Dokkaebi Onsae to ask them .

[Are you trying to protect him? Even though you know what kind of existence he is? He"s no longer the "Kim Dok-Ja" that you know . The truth has been exposed to the rest of the world… . !]

“Don"t make me laugh . That ain"t the truth . You think truth is that simple? What you"ve shown is simply edited footage . And that"s how you"ve all been creating scenarios so far, right?” Han Su-Yeong spoke to the approaching Constellations as if to issue a warning . “Don"t care whether he"s become the "Enemy of the Story" or whatever, he"s still our comrade . So, don"t you dare touch him . Got that?”

[Constellation, "Abyssal Black Flame Dragon", is roaring out!]

[Constellation, "Demon-like Judge of Fire", is exposing her Status!]

[Constellation, "Most Ancient Liberator", is charging up his lightning!]

“You touch him, and we"ll kill you all . ”

The moment the Constellations protecting made a move, the powerful momentum of the opposing Constellations froze still for a moment there .

Tsu-chuchuchuchut!

[A portion of Constellations agree with Incarnation "Han Su-Yeong"s" words, and… . !]

Great Dokkaebi Harong detected the tremor within the Probability and promptly cut the messages off .

[How laughable . You want to protect him? You lot who can"t even understand what he"s saying?]

[ is warning the Great Dokkaebis for their interference in the scenario!]

Frustrated by how the scenario wasn"t unfolding in the way they desired, a Great Dokkaebi enduring the aftermath"s storm asked them .

[Can you not see his current appearance?]

Incarnations that got near Kim Dok-Ja shrunk back and began retreating away . It was the same story whether they were Incarnations hostile towards him or carrying a favourable impression of him .

The Outer G.o.d, now reaching high up into the heavens . The moment everyone looked into his eye containing the abyss itself, they shuddered and collapsed on their b.u.t.ts .

[None of you know what he feels, what he desires, and what he thinks about . Because you are all measly humans . Because you are creatures that can never understand another existence even if you devote your entire lifetime to it . ]

Everyone from looked up at Kim Dok-Ja . What the Great Dokkaebi said was true . They couldn"t understand him .

[The target you wish to protect is the ⸢Enemy of the Story⸥ . ]

As if to wake up the characters that had forgotten their roles, the Great Dokkaebi shouted out loudly . [None of you have a choice in this matter! Kill him . If you don"t, this scenario will not end!]

["King of the Stories" is observing the direction of the Final Scenario . ]

The oldest storyteller in this world was also watching the unfolding events .

Along with her companions, Han Su-Yeong raised her head, and looked at the place where the "King of the Stories" was – the being that summarised all the scenarios . She looked at the endlessly-stretching [Final Wall] .

⸢That wall is where their story would be recorded . ⸥

“The scenario won"t end? Nice . Is that not what every reader wishes for?”

[Incarnation "Han Su-Yeong" has gotten much closer to her ■■ . ]

Han Su-Yeong then looked up at Kim Dok-Ja . When she glared continuously at the giant head of the cephalopod, she thought that it began to resemble Kim Dok-Ja"s face just a little bit .

“The story I"m writing definitely requires that idiot Kim Dok-Ja"s presence . ”

Han Su-Yeong roughly unfurled the bandages like an author ripping up the ma.n.u.script she didn"t like . Her Fable dyed in the [Black Flame] spread out in the air like pitch-black ink .

As if to imply that she could write as long as she wanted to .

[ is surprised by the Incarnation "Han Su-Yeong"s" decision!]

[Many Constellations are astonished by the Incarnation "Han Su-Yeong"s" ■■, and… . ]

[The target you wish to protect is the ⸢Enemy of the Story⸥ . ]

[Applicable action is prohibited by the ⸢Bureau⸥"s Probab… . ]

Tsu-chuchuchuchu… . !

[Constellation, "Abyssal Black Flame Dragon", is proud of his Incarnation . ]

Han Su-Yeong smirked . “Let"s not end the scenario, forever . ”

[Incarnation Han Su-Yeong"s ■■ is "Neverending Story" . ]

Fin .