Chapter 356: Episode 67 – Forgotten People of the Scenario (1)
It had been a week since Yoo Jonghyuk disappeared. In the meantime, the atmosphere of Kim Dokja’s Company changed a bit.
The people were visible reticent. Rather than express it or talk about it, they silently trained. Jung Heewon was one of them. They trained their skills and their bodies... they pretended to do this while watching a certain person. “Ah, I can’t stand it anymore! How long will this atmosphere last?”
Lee Hyunsung, who was using Great Mountain Push against the ground, was shocked by Jung Heewon’s exclamation while Shin Yoosung’s shoulders shook as she used Advanced Diverse Communication. The most surprised one was Lee Jihye who was training in Kendo.
Jung Heewon pressed her. “Jihye, you! Are you not going to talk to Dokja-ssi anymore?”
“...I don’t know.”
“Are you still angry? No matter what, you should have a conversation.”
Lee Jihye shouted, “I’m not angry! If I think about it, it isn’t a big deal... it is similar to the prophets. I know Ahjussi is a good person. I just don’t like the word ‘character’!”
It had been a week since Kim Dokja dropped the bomb. The party members thought about Kim Dokja’s words in their own way.
In summary, this was the feeling.
On the first day, all party members felt shock.
On the second day, they thought it was similar to what already happened (Jung Heewon said, “Thinking about it, this is the same thing as the constellations.”)
On the third day, some people were amazed by the novel (Lee Seolhwa said, “How much importance did I have?”).
On the fourth day, they thought Kim Dokja was like a god of this world if he read the novel (Lee Gilyoung said, “I knew that Hyung was a god.”)
On the fifth day, there were people claiming that Kim Dokja should be the one comforted, not the party members (Shin Yoosung said, “Perhaps he is the one having the hardest time right now.”)
Lee Hyunsung heard the story and said, “Certainly, we don’t know how Dokja-ssi is feeling now. A few days ago, Jonghyuk-ssi disappeared...”
The party members nodded in agreement with Lee Hyunsung. Eventually, their gazes once again concentrated on Lee Jihye.
“Jihye.”
Lee Jihye was red-faced as she yelled. “Ah, I mean! How can I say anything when Ahjussi is walking around like a dead man?”
“Still...”
“Then why didn’t Dokja ahjussi say anything? He just deceived us the whole time...”
“Jihye.” Jung Heewon called out and Lee Jihye bowed her head. Jung Heewon kept speaking. “We can’t ignore Dokja-ssi’s choice just because we don’t understand it. I don’t know the reason but it must’ve been necessary for Dokja-ssi. Dokja-ssi would’ve thought about it in his own way.”
“Unni, do you think we are just characters?”
“I also don’t know. However, so what if we are characters living in a scenario? It isn’t Dokja-ssi’s fault that such a novel exists.”
It made sense. Kim Dokja didn’t create this world. He was just a reader who accidentally read the novel. Characters in a novel... that’s how it was. From the moment this damn scenario started, they were puppets of the constellations. It didn’t feel very real to hear such a story now.
Lee Jihye bit her lips for a long time before opening her mouth. “I understand. I’ll go and speak to him. Instead, Yoosung and Hyunsung ahjussi should go with me.”
Shin Yoosung and Lee Hyunsung glanced at each other after hearing Lee Jihye’s words.
“Uh, um. I visited him after dinner yesterday...”
“I talked to him three days ago.”
Lee Jihye’s face was pale as she looked around the party members. “What? I am the only one who hasn’t gone?”
***
I had mixed feelings about the party members who came to me one by one.
Lee Seolhwa appeared in the middle of the night and inserted a story pack into my perfectly fine arm. Then when I opened my eyes in the morning, there was a huge monster and insect king in front of me.
I was the one who did something wrong so I couldn’t figure out how to react when the party took care of me this way.
-If we are characters, Dokja-ssi threw yourself several times in front of these characters. I remember it and I’m sure the others do as well.
Those were Jung Heewon’s words.
-Ahjussi, I’m young and I’m not sure why you said that. Still, I know it is very hard for you right now.
Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung had told me.
-Dokja-ssi, my manual doesn’t tell me how to deal with this situation. So don’t be too troubled and
come back as usual.
Lee Hyunsung was Lee Hyunsung as always.
-I’m not good at comforting people. If I’m really in that novel, shouldn’t you already know?
In addition, Lee Jihye...
The comfort accumulated like spring raindrops. It was quiet enough not to notice it was comforting.
Snow was piling up underneath the walls. It marked the winter season. I looked down at the citizens who were in the process of removing the snow. In a world turned upside down and where monsters were rampant, we still had to clear the snow. The snow that wasn’t cleared in time would become solid ice and would be a nuisance.
“Are the preparations good?”
I turned around and saw Kyrgios floating in the air. Kyrgios had regained his momentum and had been in charge of training the group’s martial arts.
“I’m working hard.”
The 80th scenario ‘Constellation and Demon War’ would soon begin. Currently, the maximum scenario we could advance to through the Context of the Constellations was the 65th scenario.
In order words, we had to build enough stories to break through the 65th scenario and reached the second Context of the Constellations. After that, Kim Dokja’s Company would also qualify for the 80th scenario.
“The stories are steadily accumulated and we are smoothly clearing the scenario. In any case, the scenarios in the 60s have a similar difficulty apart from Gigantomachia.”
From Demon World’s Spring to Torch That Swallowed the Myth. We secured a different probability than before and cleared the scenarios vertically. In the scenarios in the 60s, there was no nebula that could deal with us.
In addition, the promised advertisement with the Mass Production Maker began and the share prices of Kim Dokja’s Company soared. At the same time, the advertisement of the Mass Production Maker appeared on the panel in mid-air.
-The scenario, it has numerous paths.
Along with my voice that was speaking, several cars on the screen were racing towards the portal.
There was only one car that didn’t choose the portal. It was the X-grade Ferrarigini that Han Sooyoung was driving.
-Everyone has their own way.
The X-grade Ferrarigini passed the scattered cars and ran through the darkness. The screen zoomed in on Han Sooyoung’s face as she lip-synched to my words.
-However, the real power is to run on a road without a road.
The logo of the Mass Production Maker appeared on the black screen.
I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. This old man’s inspiration wasn’t normal. He used the words he told me in the advertisement. I couldn’t believe this advertisement would work on the constellations...
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ likes this advertisement.]
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ wants the X-grade Ferrarigini.]
[Your ad has stimulated the desire to to buy in some constellations.]
...There it was.
Kyrgios clicked his tongue while watching the advertisement with me. The transcendent from Murim seemed unable to accept modern civilization.
“I can’t understand. Why ride that machine? I can run a lot faster than it with my martial arts.”
“That’s true.”
“The disciple of Breaking the Sky hasn’t returned yet?”
I shut up at the sudden question. He could only be talking about one disciple of the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint.
“I’m not worried because he is someone who will find his own way.”
I was worried. I didn’t know what that sunfish was doing again. My depression returned as I thought about the regressor. I couldn’t completely cover my anxiety despite reminding myself that not many things could touch the present Yoo Jonghyuk.
However, I was forced to believe in him right now. It was like the days when I only knew him in print.
“He will appear somewhere in the next scenario area. He is such a person.”
“Reincarnation Island won’t be easy.”
“I know.”
I nodded. Kyrgios was a transcendent and had already visited the Reincarnation Island. Kyrgios’ gaze turned to below the walls. I was able to see Jang Hayoung, standing alone a bit further away from the party members.
“Take Hayoung with you on this journey. This guy has made progress in Breaking the Sky. He won’t be a burden.”
“I was going to take him anyway.”
Jang Hayoung was an indispensable figure for this scenario. The place where he got the name ‘King of Transcendents’ was the Reincarnation Island. I waved lightly and Jang Hayoung, who was looking over here, quickly turned his head away.
I gazed at the distant sky again. I could feel the vibrations of the watch needle ticking around my wrist. There were 21 days until the Constellation and Demon War.
I quietly turned on the smartphone and opened the file of Ways of Survival. It was because of this novel that I hurt the group members but it was also because of the novel that I could see them.
In the midst of these contradictory feelings, I opened the section on the Constellation and Demon Way.
The first sentence of the Constellation and Demon War began as followed:
「 Finally, the season of destruction was slowly coming to this world. 」
***
The nebula Eden.
At the entrance of the martial arts hall, which normally wouldn’t be popular, crowds of angels were gathered together.
[Ah, that incarnation is...]
[...That is a human body?]
The angels were peeping at a man with a bare upper body swinging a sword through the air. At first glance, he seemed to just be holding the sword but he was actually cutting the air with the sword. Any angel with good eyes could tell that the blade was pointing down at a very fine speed.
It was Yoo Jonghyuk’s repeated training when he wanted to forget time. It was to lengthen the time of the moment and to feel the eternity that was coming at that time.
The surrounding air was roughly shaken by his movements. It was restrained like a crouching dragon. The fact that it was understated meant that there was something that hadn’t erupted.
[It’s great. Even narrative-grade constellations can’t easily rush at you now.]
Yoo Jonghyuk turned his head and saw a pale-faced archangel. The person who recorded everything in Eden. Metatron laughed as Yoo Jonghyuk’s eyes asked why he came.
[
I came to give a bit of advice. If you are going to remove your top every time you train, you should move to another place.]
“The probability density of Eden in this place is the most appropriate for training.”
[It is thanks to you that the little angels’ morals are...]
“Metatron, why did you show me that revelation?”
Metatron knew the other person wasn’t listening at all and changed his words.
[I told you it was a bargain. You will side with ‘good’ at the Duet Between Good and Evil. It was nothing more than that.]
“Are you trying to split apart Kim Dokja’s Company?”
[Why would Eden do such a thing?]
“I know that you are paying special attention to Kim Dokja. I guess that you are trying to keep his power in check.”
[Is that why you’re holding a protest here, to the point of taking off your top?]
“Your words don’t make sense.”
Metatron shook his head as if he couldn’t tell which side made sense. Yoo Jonghyuk kept swinging his sword through the air. It was like he was slowly cutting a virtual adversary.
[If you are going to continue with the illegal demonstration, please leave Kim Dokja’s Company officially and join Eden. Then you will be allowed to take off your top―]
“Give me the next chapter of the revelation. Is that all the information you had?”
[Haven’t you thought that I might be giving you false information?]
“It is better than the demon kings who lie.”
[Is that why you came to us instead of Asmodeus?]
“If the demon kings know the information then you will definitely know it as well.”
[Hah...]
Metatron still hadn’t forgotten the day Yoo Jonghyuk invaded Eden alone. He broke through the entrance guarded by the Powers Angels and Virtues Angels. Even the demon kings didn’t dare do such a thing. In fact, if Metatron hadn’t stopped it then Yoo Jonghyuk would’ve died in Michael’s hands on that day.
Yoo Jonghyuk said, “Give me the revelation. Isn’t it enough that I’ve played your game until now?”
Metatron’s mouth twisted unpleasantly. A cold light flashed in Metatron’s eyes as he gazed at Yoo Jonghyuk.
[Incarnation Yoo Jonghyuk. The information I gave you isn’t technically a revelation. It was information received from a special existence.]
“Special existence?”
[Do you really want to know?]
Metatron stared at Yoo Jonghyuk for a moment before slowly looking up. Yoo Jonghyuk also raised his head.
For a moment, the sky of Eden distorted. Some of the angels around the training hall sat down with a small scream. Yoo Jonghyuk instinctively grabbed the Black Demon Sword.
...A demon king? No.
It was more chaos than demonic.
[Your sponsor feels uncomfortable with this heterogeneous being.]
Yoo Jonghyuk blinked and his surroundings changed. It was the centre of the Star Stream. An intangible darkness filled this space.
There was a big existence that was too much even for the transcendent Yoo Jonghyuk.
Yoo Jonghyuk asked, “Who are you?”
[The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ is looking at the incarnation ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’.]
The darkness spoke.
[ It has been a long time, puppet of the oldest dream. ]