Chapter 341: Episode 64 – A Road That Isn’t a Road (2)
All types of thoughts passed through my head.
[The ‘Fourth Wall’ is shaking violently.]
There were two doors and someone seemed to be whispering to me. I could go inside one of them. However, if I chose one then I had to give up the other one. I couldn’t do that.
“Demon King of Salvation.”
“...Yes.”
“If you delay then you can’t save either of them.” There was no sense of reality in Aileen’s voice.
“Please wait a moment.”
In my dizzy vision, the corridor across from the two hospital rooms was seen. The words of the Mass Production Maker crossed my mind.
-It’s nothing. It is just a blocked road.
The end of the corridor was dim so I couldn’t see anything. Yet everyone knew that there was nothing at the end of that corridor. In the first place, the corridor was made to have nothing.
「 Kim Dokja thought: It isn’t possible. 」
Stay calm. There must be a way. I had come all this way and now I had to choose between the two people? Who should live and who should die? I couldn’t do that.
[The Fourth Wall is looking at you.]
「 But you ha ve al ready cho sen. 」
At the moment, the scene of the first scenario filled my head. The shaky subway. The appearance of those who died. Maybe I could’ve saved everyone there.
「 Th us, you can ch oose this ti me too. 」
...It was different now.
「 Wh at is diffe rent? 」
Rather than replying to the Fourth Wall, I asked Aileen, “How much time is left?”
“Around 20 minutes... Lee Sookyung-ssi’s side is more critical. After that...”
20 minutes. It was short but there was enough time to try this and that. It was too early to give up.
“If there is more star fluid, can you save both of them?”
“...There isn’t a lot of possibility.”
I immediately pulled out the Old to New Toad. The toad cried out,
-Give me an old house and I’ll give you a new house.
I pointed to the half-filled bottle of Nectar and asked,
“Can you change this to something new?”
Then the Old to New Toad shook its head.
-It isn’t old or new.
“This was half-eaten by me. Thus, it is old. I’ll give you other items if you fill up a new bottle...”
-The change... I can’t help you.
As expected, such a trick wasn’t possible with the star fluid. I had thought it might be possible.
-Tired, don’t call me.
Perhaps it was tired from swallowing the giant soldier earlier but the Old to New Toad fell asleep.
I put it away and decided to try a second method. If I couldn’t duplicate it, I had to get a new one.
[The demon king ‘Demon King of Salvation’...]
[The use of the indirect message is cancelled.]
[The indirect messaging function is currently disabled due to checking and repairing certain scenarios.]
...What?
[The scenario being checked is the 60th scenario.]
It was an unexpected situation I hadn’t thought of. I didn’t think the aftermath of the 60th scenario would reach this far...
I needed the help of other constellations to get new star fluids.
“Jang Hayoung!”
At my cry, Aileen’s gaze moved to another place. The place where Jang Hayoung was located was Yoo Sangah’s hospital room. The moment I stood on the threshold of the hospital room where the emergency light was on, a cold sensation went down my back.
“You can’t enter without permission!” Someone yelled at me.
The fragments of the story scattered from Yoo Sangah hovered in the air. I tried to ignore it and turned to Jang Hayoung. Jang Hayoung was sleeping in a corner of the hospital room. “Jang Hayoung! Wake up! Quickly!”
“Wait a minute! He is also in critical condition!”
The medical staff rushed over and pulled me away. Jang Hayoung had a large number of story packs inserted in him and bandages were wrapped around his body. He was seriously wounded in the Returnees War. However, I needed Jang Hayoung’s skill.
[The Unidentified Wall is looking at you.]
[The Fourth Wall is facing the Unidentified Wall.]
Sparks bounced as I felt the gaze of the wall. It was a coldness with no sense of cooperation at all.
...It was going to be like this? I opened Bookmark. In the end, the Unidentified Wall was also a skill. I still didn’t have a good understanding of Jang Hayoung and needed some luck but...
I started looking for Jang Hayoung’s name in the list of Bookmarks. Perhaps it felt uncomfortable due to my actions? The Unidentified Wall warned,
[The ‘Unidentified Wall’ says: You are not my master. Don’t do anything unnecessary.]
“I need your help.” I told it honestly. It was urgent. “If you don’t help me, you have to wake up your master.”
The wall was silent for a moment. It was a silence that showed it was thinking about something. A moment later, a message from the wall came back.
[The ‘Unidentified Wall’ says: ...I’ll help you.]
At the same time, a small partition of space was created around me. It was a space reminiscent of a Mino Soft intern a long time ago. A large panel was created in front of me and there was a familiar type of input device.
Perhaps Jang Hayoung had listened to the stories of countless constellations in this small wall. Jang Hayoung listened to stories that were written on this wall like graffiti and...
[The Unidentified Wall says: Do a good job.’]
...I had nothing to say. I looked down at the sleeping Jang Hayoung for a moment before turning my head.
First of all, it was important to turn off the emergency light.
[The ‘Unidentified Wall’ has temporarily granted you a license.]
[Enter the destination to send a message to.]
The first constellation was Dionysus.
[The message can’t be sent to the constellation.]
[At present, all communications with the nebula Olympus is paralyzed.]
I ran into a snag from the beginning. I quickly changed the receiver of the message. Then a reply immediately came back.
-You need more Soma? I’m sorry but... I gave all the Soma I had to you.
The reply was from Surya. The situation here also wasn’t easy.
-Is it difficult to request more from the nebula?
-I withdrew from Vedas and lost the Soma production rights.
-Is Dionysus beside you?
After a few moments, there was an answer from Surya.
-Recently, Olympus is suffering from the famine story and the supply of Nectar is cut off. There is no more left to give you.
-I understand. Thank you.
-I’m sorry I couldn’t help.
-No.
It was impossible to ask for anything further when I already received Surya’s help in Gigantomachia.
I thought about various types of star fluids that appeared in Ways of Survival through my head. However, none that could replace Nectar and Soma were available right away.
I desperately bit my lips. If treatment wasn’t possible then I had to find another way.
[Sending a message to constellation ‘Queen of the Darkest Spring.’]
Since Persephone and Hades weren’t members of Olympus, it was possible to communicate with them through the Unidentified Wall. I didn’t want to use this method but it wasn’t time to cover up cold water with warm water.
Nevertheless, the answer that came back from Persephone wasn’t very positive.
-Son, as you might know, a presence broken through the flow of consciousness is.. All souls of this world go to the Underworld but that is a case when the soul is intact.
-...As expected, it is like this.
I actually expected it a bit. The flow of consciousness was a phenomenon where the stories of the soul were broken.
A soul suffering from this disease wouldn’t go to the Underworld. To be exact, it didn’t go anywhere. It just ended there. Just as everyone who walked on the wrong road disappeared forever.
Persephone continued speaking.
-Son.
-It is a situation where the succession isn’t properly established yet. Don’t call me that right now.
I responded quickly before disconnecting. I opened the smartphone and then the file of Ways of Survival. There was still a method. There had to be.
[The Unidentified Wall says: You have done too many things that went against probability.]
...Shut up.
[The Unidentified Wall says: That probability was bound to come back to you.] It is a law of this world.]
“I told you to shut up.”
I quickly read Ways of Survival. I found several times when Yoo Jonghyuk met similar challenges in Ways of Survival. For example, the 161st and 275th rounds.
In those rounds, Yoo Jonghyuk was in a situation where he could only save one of his two colleagues. When told he could only save Lee Seolhwa or Lee Jihye, Yoo Jonghyuk had replied:
「 “I will save both.” 」
The same was true for the 275th round. Lee Hyunsung and Shin Yoosung. In a situation where only one of them could be saved, Yoo Jonghyuk declared,
「 “I will save both of them.” 」
This was Yoo Jonghyuk’s answer. Thus, Yoo Jonghyuk of the 161st and 275th round failed. He couldn’t save Lee Seolhwa, Lee Jihye, Lee Hyunsung or Shin Yoosung. Then he died himself. Yet every time, Yoo Jonghyuk made the same choice and I would choose the same.
My right hand holding the phone trembled nervously and I gripped it tightly.
「 Bu t Kim Dok ja isn’t Yoo Jong hyuk. 」
Yoo Jonghyuk was able to make such a choice because he was a regressor. A regressor different from me. An existence who could repeat life many times.
On the other hand, I only had this one life. Therefore, this life didn’t allow me to make any mistakes.
If I made a mistake, someone would die. Thus, I couldn’t make any mistakes.
I had come all this way while taking the risk of twisting probability. Up to this point, I thought I had done well.
Briareus had told me.
-The real fate is inevitable. If you avoid it, probability must be distorted. The twisting of probability had to be resolved by someone.
I knew. I knew it very well. Just, I was dissatisfied. Why?
「 ...ja-ssi. 」
Why.. why should they be the ones to resolve it?
「 Dokja-ssi. 」
One drop, two drops. The voice that touched me was like a drop of water through hard granite.
I looked behind me.
「 Dokja-ssi, I’m fine. 」
Through the curtains of the hospital room where Yoo Sangah lay, the fragments of the broken story flowed out and spoke to me.
「 Save Sookyung-ssi. 」
No voice came from my half-open mouth. Yet she replied like she heard my words.
「 I have a way to survive. I have already found a way through Hermes’ system. 」
[The exclusive skill ‘Lie Detection Lv. 7’ is activated!]
[You have confirmed that the statement is false.]
“Yoo Sang...”
「 Dokja-ssi. 」
It wasn’t meant to call out to me. Yoo Sangah’s voice was unbelievably firm. One day, I remembered a time when I teamed up with Yoo Sangah.
Even then, Yoo Sangah was the same. Every time she insisted on something she thought was right, she would never bend herself. Yoo Sangah would speak in this calm but strong tone. It was like appeasing a panicked little child.
「 Dokja-ssi, listen carefully to me. Please be calm and rational. 」
Why? Yoo Sangah’s words were familiar.
「 I still have some time remaining. However, Sookyung-ssi wouldn’t be able to recover unless she is saved now. 」
Why did I feel like I was sitting in a subway seat and why did it feel like this trembling hand wasn’t mine?
「 It is like a game quest. A quest that can be cleared properly if we follow the set route. 」
“...Yoo Sangah-ssi.”
「 Dokja-ssi, it is time to carry out the quest properly now. 」
I understood Yoo Sangah’s words. Perhaps I could understand better than anyone in the world. However, I couldn’t understand the Yoo Sangah speaking right now. Perhaps I would never understand in this lifetime. Or I should say that I didn’t dare understand it.
[The ‘Fourth Wall’ has increased its thickness.]
Like the Yoo Sangah who stood up on the subway, I stood up and declared, “Aileen.”
Aileen noticed my intentions and nodded. The medical staff standing next to Yoo Sangah rushed to the other side of the room. I also slowly turned to the opposite side of the room. The moment I went beyond the threshold, I couldn’t help looking back.
「 Don’t worry. I’ll be waiting here. 」
Beyond the curtain, Yoo Sangah’s silhouette had already scattered a lot. Maybe, beyond that would be a Yoo Sangah I already didn’t know. She might be torn and scattered apart, something that was no longer recognizable. I might be hearing the voice of Yoo Sangah, who was already disappearing.
Nevertheless.
“Yoo Sangah-ssi. I don’t know if you remember but I screened people’s lives in the first scenario.”
I continued speaking towards the Yoo Sangah I remembered. “I only let people I thought should survive, live. I thought I should’ve done it in order to see the end of this world.
「 ...Dokja-ssi. 」
“However, if this is the one way I can see the ending of this story, I would rather not see the ending.”
In order to revive someone, another person had to die.
“If there is a choice over lives, it is a bad story in the first place.”
At my answer, the Mass Production Maker might say this: It is a road that isn’t a road.
[The Fourth Wall is looking at you.]
Nevertheless, this wasn’t a choice. There was only one way from the beginning.
[The constellation ‘Demon King of Salvation’ is looking at the Fourth Wall.]
I wasn’t Yoo Jonghyuk. Yet when it came to this issue, my answer was the same as that guy.
“I’ll smash that story. So that Yoo Sangah-ssi won’t die. My mother too.”
There was a dead-end wall covered in darkness in front of my eyes. It was a hard and thick wall that I couldn’t smash. I slowly reached out for that wall.