Chapter 128: Episode 25 – Those Who Face a G.o.d (2)
The strongest existences in the Star Stream were often called ‘constellations.’ They observed the stories of every world from above.
However, as I said earlier, the constellations aren’t the only ones who could go against constellations. There were those who refused the path of a constellation and became demon kings or dragons that ruled at the peak of all monsters from birth.
Then what about humans? Could humans who didn’t walk the path of a human reach the level where they could oppose the constellation?
The answer was currently right in front of me.
[Interesting. You gave up your existence for another planet?]
Kyrgios could see my ident.i.ty with one look. He glanced at the confused Asuka Ren besides me.
[I’ll let it pa.s.s just once because of your courage. Take that woman away.]
A returnee. Born with special talents, they transcended the category of a human thanks to the blessing of the Star Stream.
Among the returnees, Kyrgios Rodgraim was a special existence. He was very powerful among the returnees and earned enough money not to be dragged into the stories made by the dokkaebis. He was a returnee who never acted in Ways of Survival.
“I have something to say to you.”
[…Say?]
The skills that exceeded the level of transcendence manifested and revealed their presence to me. It was the presence of a constellation that could destroy mortals just existing.
[Do you think you are in a position to talk to me?]
I was surprised that there was so much moisture inside me. My back was soaked with sweat.
[Your dare oppose the White Storm?]
He was strong. I got gooseb.u.mps at the thought of how a small person could be so strong.
[The exclusive skill, ‘Fourth Wall’ is activated!]
However, I had a ‘wall.’ No matter how terrifying the presence beyond the wall, it wouldn’t harm me as long as I didn’t cross it.
[The character ‘Kyrgios Rodgraim’ is curious towards you.]
Kyrgios noticed something strange.
[…You endured it? How? Do you have the protection of a higher being?]
I opened my mouth before he became interested in the wrong thing. “Kyrgios. This world needs your help.”
Kyrgios’ expression changed.
[This is why you came looking for me?]
“That’s right.”
[The small person…]
Then the ‘small person’ replied.
[A small planet’s constellation is looking tearfully at Kyrgios Rodgraim.]
[A small planet’s constellation has sponsored 10 coins to Kyrgios Rodgraim.]
Kyrgios frowned.
[I don’t need it.]
[The small planet’s constellation has received a great impact.]
A few raindrops fell from the sky.
[…Every world has a time of destruction and every story comes to an end. It is now time for this planet.]
There were no emotions in Kyrgios’ eyes as he stared into the distance. However, I knew. Even if you became insensitive to everything in the world, there was no one who could escape from the bounds of their own story.
“Then why did you come back here? You left Peace Land a long time ago.”
[…Something called me.]
My eyes glanced towards Asuka Ren, who was staring at Kyrgios. I knew what Kyrgios had probably felt.
“Don’t deceive yourself. Didn’t you come back here to defend your home?”
[There are no good memories here. This place…]
“Is this the place where you were born ‘weak’?” Kyrgios shook for the first time. “It is because of your mother gave you a cursed body?”
[…You know me quite well, incarnation of the scenario. Then I’ll say this. Get lost. I won’t tell you a third time…]
“Are you scared?”
[What?]
“I asked if you are scared. This is your world and these constellations are destroying it. Are you scared of that snake?”
At this moment, a fearsome pressure that almost made my eyes pop out pushed down on my body.
[If you want to die then I will kill you.]
I gasped for air but didn’t stop speaking. “Don’t deceive yourself about why you came here.”
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is displeased with the behaviour of Kyrgios Rodgraim.]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is criticizing Kyrgios Rodgraim’s justice.]
[The constellation ‘Scribe of Heaven’ is severely criticizing Kyrgios Rodgraim’s interference in the scenario.]
The indirect messages emerged one after another and Kyrgios’s aura subsided.
[Weird people are chasing after you. The monkey king and archangel? It is strange. They have a strong pride…]
I spat out blood and started talking again. “Focus on my story. Did you come here to see the end of this planet?”
[I can’t help this planet.]
Blue sparks appeared around his body. It was the probability storm. It was caused by killing the two Wind Shadow Squadron members.
He wasn’t a being summoned by the scenario and was limited by the probability, even if it wasn’t as much as the constellations.
Kyrgios firmly grabbed a spark and said. [If I act then I will only hasten the destruction of this planet.]
I understood what he meant. Probability was like a scale for the constellations. If one side changed the flow of the story without a valid probability then the law of Star Stream would forcefully correct the balance.
[If I interfere with the scenario, other constellations watching the scenario will also be able to move. All I can do… is watch the end of my home.]
I remembered. This was the real ‘image’ of Kyrgios Rodgraim that I knew. He left his home, overcame countless trials and returned, only to be unable to save his home despite his strength.
This was White Storm, Kyrgios Rodgraim.
“There is no need to take action with your own hands.”
However, if I was to back down here then I wouldn’t have come see Kyrgios in the first place.
“Don’t you need a disciple to learn the top secret technique of your white purity energy?” The calm Kyrgios was greatly shocked by my words. “Please accept me as your disciple. I will be your agent on Peace Land.”
However, the shock only lasted a moment.
[…I don’t accept outsiders as a disciple. In addition, your strength is lacking to be qualified.]
My pride was a bit hurt. If Yoo Jonghyuk was here then would Kyrgios hesitate to accept him as a disciple?
“I’m not qualified despite this?”
I picked up a branch in the vicinity. My magic power was absorbed by White Pure Star Energy and a wave of mana flashed at the tip of the branch. It was lacking in power but it was still enough to show my achievement.
Kyrgios watched with amazement. In the second scenario, the first thing I purchased was this hidden skill. White Pure Star Energy was Kyrgios Rodgraim’s famous technique.
“I will say it once again. The outsider Kim Dokja requests for the master of the White Storm school to accept me.”
.
.
Kyrgios made a decision after a few hours.
He released the white energy and spoke in a human voice. “The White Storm school was wiped out after I left. I don’t know if it still exists.”
He kept me waiting for two hours just to say this.
The strong people of the Star Steam lived in a ‘unique time zone’ in order to maintain their sense of self over the long years.
“Okay. I will receive you as a disciple.”
Kyrgios didn’t ask me how I knew White Pure Star Energy and how I knew about his secret technique. Then the training started.
「 …Kyrgios Rodgraim was a ‘Murim World Returnee.’
Despite the inherent limitations of the small people, he mastered several martial arts and succeeded in transcending his race without the help of the system.
There are many legends about him who advanced to the First Murim and reigned as the leader. He killed all the enemies taller than himself, cut off the p.e.n.i.s of a drunk man making fun of his height and has an a.s.sociation with the famous constellation the ‘snake’… 」
“Your smartphone has become smaller as well?”
I heard Han Sooyoung’s voice and turned my smartphone off. “I put it in the subs.p.a.ce of the coat and it became like this.”
“d.a.m.n, you hog all the good things to yourself.”
Han Sooyoung was able to safely overcome the Wind Shadow Squadron and join up with us. They were probably deceived by the ‘dead enemy’ like I was. She muttered, “I never imagined that Kyrgios, the strongest person in First Murim would be from Peace Land.”
“The strongest person can’t be obscured and he is close to the strongest. But how do you know this name?”
“The name appeared in the first part of the novel. It is the first time I’ve seen it myself.”
“This is also my first time. In any case, wait near Ren.”
I was taught by Kyrgios in the rocky area. My goal was to learn Kyrgios’s secret technique in two weeks and return to Veronica. If the story progressed as the original then this should be when the j.a.panese king, the Sovereign of Eight Heads moved to trample all four kingdoms.
Of course, things weren’t that easy. On the first day, this was the task that Kyrgios gave me.
“Repeat this a million times.”
“…A million times?”
“Yes, one million. Did you see what I just showed you properly?”
I saw it well. Kyrgios stood in front of me and stretched out his sword. This was the basic ‘stab’ posture.
“Why this…”
“Every disciple starts here. It is to aim for the smallest point. In one extremely condensed and tempered ‘point’, the universe begins.”
“…I see.”
I didn’t know what he meant.
“You were born big and don’t know the meaning of being small.”
The moment I heard this, something popped into my head. According to Ways of Survival, Kyrgios had a complex about his height. I told him, “Humans aren’t very big either.”
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. In the end, all of us are specks of dust from the perspective of the universe. That’s why it is wrong to call a small person a small person. Humans and small people are just dust in the end.”
It felt like he was rationalizing his small height.
“However, isn’t big dust different from small dust?”
“The important thing is the size of the universe, not the size of the dust. Even if you are just a speck of dust, the degree of your existence can vary depending on how big the universe is. No, the smaller the dust speck, the closer it is to the origin of the universe. This makes it easier to understand the essence.”
I thought it sounded nice. “Ah.”
“Do you understand?”
“What does that have to do with stabbing?”
Kyrgios looked at me with contempt and said, “This is why people shouldn’t be born big. Work hard on the stabbing.”
Then Kyrgios disappeared. He seemed disappointed in me. It was natural. Way of the Wind had proven my poor talent. It might take me two decades to learn the secret technique instead of two weeks.
Four days pa.s.sed.
“Do it straight. Shouldn’t you attempt to do it properly?”
Five days pa.s.sed.
“This is why those born with big bodies…”
A week pa.s.sed. Kyrgios’ hatred of big people didn’t stop. “Have you ever been born as an insect? c.o.c.kroaches probably learn better than you.”
“If such a c.o.c.kroach exists then I would like it as a teacher.”
“Do you want to die?”
Finally, it was the end of the second week. I was tired of stabbing and fell down.
“You…”
I still hadn’t learnt the skill. Kyrgios was deeply disappointed with my talent and soon disappeared. It was like a small breeze had blown for a moment.
Once Kyrgios was completely gone, I found Asuka Ren and Han Sooyoung waiting nearby.
“Let’s run away.”
“What? Did you learn everything? It looked like you couldn’t do anything at all.”
“I stole it.”
I quietly closed my eyes and whispered something. The next moment, a violent white lightning bounced around me. It was the secret technique of Kyrgios, Electrification.
“Eh? What is this? You clearly couldn’t…”
“I told you. I stole it.”
[‘Kyrgios Rodgraim’ has been added to the fifth bookmark.]
This was my purpose from the beginning. I placed the strongest returnee Kyrgios into my Bookmark skill and tried to raise my understanding of him as much as possible.
In the first place, Kyrgios wasn’t willing to teach me properly. Strong people like Kyrgios weren’t simply enough to give up their secret techniques because of flattery.
His purpose was to keep me here until the end of the scenario and then torture me after the scenario ended to find out everything I knew.
“That’s why we have to run away.”
“s.h.i.+t, I understand.”
Han Sooyoung grumbled. By the time we finished the preparations, the sun was s.h.i.+ning in the distance.
The warmth of dawn surrounded us. Peace Land changed seasons every two weeks. It was winter when the training started but now spring was coming.
Asuka Ren suddenly paled. “The Sovereign of Eight Heads has started moving.”
“Really?”
“He is using the Absolute Throne to call the j.a.panese incarnations together.”
It was time. Spring was the season where creatures that hibernated woke up one by one. The season of the ‘snake hunt’ would soon arrive.