Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Novel MTL - Chapter 616

Chapter 616

Han Sooyoung lowered herself to the ground.

The blood was gone from the man’s hands. Sentences, flowing like fine dust from his fingertips, whispered softly into her ears.

「 He was once called Kim Dokja. 」

It couldn’t be.

But no matter how fiercely she shook her head in denial, the truth before her remained unchanged.

「 The 49% fragment of Kim Dokja, severed by her own hand. 」

When pieces of Kim Dokja were cast into the void, she had wondered if such a thing were possible.

Maybe the one she believed to be an [Avatar] had also been reborn—a tiny shard reincarnated in some distant corner of the cosmos.

「 «Oh, my son is amazing.» 」

There, in that other life, he would have lived under a new name, within a new family.

「 «Dear, it seems he loves books. Perhaps he’ll become a scholar?» 」

Unlike Kim Dokja, he would have been raised with warmth, cherished by his parents.

「 «Ahhhhhh.» 」

He would have wept over his first heartbreak.

「 «Khh… Khh… Love… it only makes you vulnerable.» 」

He would have cringed at memories of his youthful fervor…

「 What is Lee Hakhyun’s dream? 」

Perhaps he even discovered a new dream.

「 «A writer.» 」

He would have pursued that dream with everything he had.

[We are pleased to announce the winner of the 24th Rookie of the Year Award: ‘Origin of Memory’ by Lee Hakhyun.]

At times, he would have despaired, crashing against the walls of reality.

「 «I’m sorry, author. As you know, the print market is struggling these days…» 」

「 «Have you considered web novels? That’s where the readers are now…» 」

Yet, he never surrendered his dream.

「 «Writer, this isn’t working. Have you read your own lines out loud?» 」

「 «Can I… really make a living by writing?» 」

His perseverance was rewarded when he met the man from his dreams.

「 «You have the look of a web novel writer.» 」

Finally, he arrived at the origin of the self he had lost.

「 «Editor. I think I have an idea.» 」

「 «What will the new work be called?» 」

「 «It’s called 『Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint』.» 」

Han Sooyoung read his fragmented stories, over and over.

He was the one who had refused to be reborn as Kim Dokja.

The one who helped his companions recover their lost memories.

The man who was once a reader that forgot this tale

「 «I want to have a story of my own, too.» 」

Now, he was a writer who had returned to the story.

For a long time, Han Sooyoung held his hand.

«Wake up.»

His lifeless body swayed limply.

«You didn’t come all this way just to die.»

His injuries were beyond any ordinary healing.

«After everything you endured to find the life you desired.»

Why did he have to return here?

Han Sooyoung didn’t have the answer. Perhaps only Lee Hakhyun himself could find it.

Instead, she combed through every sentence she knew from ‘Ways of Survival’ and ‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’.

But no matter how she searched, there was no method in this world that could heal his wounds now.

Han Sooyoung took a light breath and lifted her head. She gazed into the darkness as if searching for a star, then reached inside her coat.

Tsu, tsu, tsu, tsu, tsu.

[The <Star Stream> is observing you.]

[Several nebulae are watching your actions.]

[Certain constellations are growing wary of your movements!]

[The Administration Bureau is assessing the 「Probability Conformity」 of your actions!]

The channel shuddered violently; the pressure of impending probability was palpable.

In the <Star Stream>, it required far more probability to save a life than to take one. And if that life was already forfeit, the cost was unimaginable.

A moment later, a small pill rested in Han Sooyoung’s palm.

The Life and Death Pill.

The ultimate medicine crafted by Lee Seolhwa, an item that should not yet exist in this world.

She never thought she would use the emergency supply she had brought.

[Many constellations are skeptical of the item you have produced.]

[The Bureau is preparing to intervene in the scenario!]

Using this item would undoubtedly invoke the backlash of probability.

It was an object whose existence defied the current world’s logic.

«This wasn’t an [avatar] meant to be sacrificed here.»

Han Sooyoung pushed the Life and Death Pill into Lee Hakhyun’s mouth. A gentle warmth spread, soon enveloping his body in a soft glow.

She had so many questions.

But there was no time. White sparks flickered around her as her avatar began to fade. The cost of probability was taking its toll.

At the final moment, she squeezed the lemon candy in Lee Hakhyun’s hand and whispered.

«Tell him I received it.»

Soft snowflakes brushed against my cheeks.

I opened my eyes to a pure white sky and knew instantly where I was.

「 Kim Dokja! 」

I jolted up and called out, and the voice I longed for answered from behind.

「 I’m here. 」

In the midst of the snowfield, Kim Dokja was crouched, reading something.

Was it Ways of Survival? Or had someone written a new story since then?

The moment that thought surfaced, a wave of shame washed over me.

「 The lemon candy. 」

«Sorry, I broke our promise.»

Kim Dokja responded with a silent laugh.

I looked around, feeling a deep embarrassment.

But it couldn’t be helped. My pride as a writer was stung.

「 How was Han Sooyoung? 」

I thought for a moment before answering.

「 She was strong. 」

Kim Dokja had fought that strong Han Sooyoung countless times. Through conflict, they had eventually become companions.

「 And she was a brilliant writer. 」

Feeling a slight relief, I added one more thing.

「 Honestly, I felt that my presence in that world line was unnecessary. 」

The theater dungeon was cleared; my role was finished.

If it was Han Sooyoung, even after witnessing my death, she wouldn’t settle for the same old ending.

She would find a path forward.

An ending that wouldn’t seal Yoo Jonghyuk or sacrifice the readers.

She would discover the way that I could not.

「 Han Sooyoung doesn’t appear to share that view. 」

What?

What did that mean? My mind, fogged with fatigue, struggled to process it.

「 Because this is your story. 」

My story.

A sudden dizziness swept over me.

「 I was just an extra villain. Everything I’ve done has been an attempt to become someone I’m not. 」

Throughout the scenario, I had been forced to mimic Kim Dokja, and sometimes Yoo Jonghyuk. I played my part and, in the end, I died.

Perhaps it was because I was never the real Kim Dokja or Yoo Jonghyuk.

「 You are Lee Hakhyun. 」

I don’t know why, but hearing those words made me want to cry.

「 And you are also Cheon Inho. 」

「 … 」

「 Your name isn’t what matters. What matters is that we are speaking of the self that exists there. 」

It sounded familiar, something I’d heard before.

But I couldn’t recall who had said it.

My consciousness began to dim.

Was this because death was near?

Fighting off sleepiness, I asked Kim Dokja.

「 You… 」

I wanted to ask so much, but didn’t know where to start. There was too much I needed to know.

Didn’t you say it wasn’t difficult?

Didn’t you ever want to quit that endless scenario, that story, to stop enduring those long years?

Why haven’t you returned to your companions yet?

Kim Dokja spoke.

「 There’s a phrase I say to myself when things become too hard. 」

I knew exactly what it was.

We said it in unison.

「 I am Yoo Joonghyuk. 」

The name itself isn’t important.

For a moment, I felt I understood what he meant.

We had always persevered by borrowing each other’s stories, time and again.

「 I tried that too, but it never really turned me into Yoo Jonghyuk. 」

「 That’s right. 」

The expression on Kim Dokja’s face as he nodded is something I will never forget.

「 But after saying it, I felt a little more like myself. I felt a little more like Kim Dokja. 」

I opened my eyes to a dizzying pain radiating through my body.

It seemed I needed to use the phrase I had just heard.

“I am Yoo Joonghyuk.”

No Incitement was used. Even so, I felt a faint surge of energy.

Letting out a breath, I pushed myself up. Above me was the shattered roof of the theater dungeon.

A faint magical energy lingered around my heart. My chest, which had been unmistakably pierced, was now healing as if it had never been wounded.

「 I’m alive. 」

I couldn’t comprehend how it was possible.

I had fought Han Sooyoung and died from a wound through my heart.

The last sentence I wrote had ended with my death. The chapter was titled ‘Death of the Villain,’ a fact that seemed absolute.

「 Yet, I was alive. 」

Something slid from my shoulder with a soft rustle.

It was the white coat Han Sooyoung had been wearing.

Clutching the coat, I stood and surveyed my surroundings.

Yoo Jonghyuk and Jung Heewon lay unconscious, but their breathing was steady. They didn’t seem seriously hurt.

Where had Han Sooyoung gone?

Dawn was approaching.

A shower of meteors streaked across the skyline.

It reminded me that this was still the theater dungeon.

Kim Dokja and his party must have seen this very sight, too.

The words of Kim Dokja, who had watched these stars with eyes of infinite cold, finally resonated within me.

「 The scenario has only just begun. 」

I had just completed my third main scenario and lost my life.

The chilling sensation of death was still vivid behind my eyes.

I survived this time by chance, but would I be so lucky next time?

The scenarios to come were terrifying beyond comparison to the theater dungeon.

Would the readers who followed me be able to endure all the trials and survive?

「 Because this is your story. 」

Could I protect them?

I pressed a hand to my forehead, dizziness washing over me.

In the distance, I heard footsteps. People who had escaped the movie were now emerging onto the rooftop one by one.

Finally, the rooftop door burst open. The first person through took a step and called out to me.

«Kim Dokja?»

I glanced around instinctively, but Kim Dokja was nowhere to be seen.

Understanding dawned on me, a moment too late.

The strong backlight of the dawn behind me. The deep shadow it cast over my face. the reinforced suit I wore, identical to the one from the original story, my posture weary and pained.

And the white coat in my hand. I realized what they were seeing, what they were misunderstanding.

I almost laughed and said I wasn’t Kim Dokja.

But the moment I saw their faces—faces on the verge of collapse—every word I had died within me.

People who read stories and loved them.

People who followed the narratives of their beloved characters, using that joy and sorrow to endure their own lives.

From behind the first arrivals, others asked,

«Hey, is it Kim Dokja?»

«Kim Dokja? Really?»

Desperate words, born from a depth of despair.

Beyond that door, they had hoped to find the Kim Dokja they were searching for.

「 In that moment, I understood Kim Dokja. 」

The distant sound of a small meteorite landing reached my ears.

I looked down quietly at the coat Han Sooyoung had left behind.

「 I am the writer, Lee Hakhyun. The instigator, Cheon Inho. 」

Perhaps this was a role only I could fulfill.

[‘Thoughts about almost everything’ is being mimicked by the ‘Ever-changing Stealth Suit’.]

I closed my eyes and recalled a man’s face.

[The effect of ‘Ever-changing Stealth Suit’ is activated!]

A man who grinned blankly at people.

A person who, alone knowing this world’s end, still wished to see a novel’s epilogue.

The protagonist of this story.

A white coat fluttered in the wind sweeping over the building.

When I finally lowered my hands from my face, the people who saw me burst into tears.

«It’s… it’s really, really you.»

«I knew it! I knew he would be here!»

The mere confirmation of someone’s existence was enough to make hope bloom on their faces.

«Kim Dokja!»

There was a time when hearing that name made my chest ache.

But not anymore.

「 Even so, this world needs Kim Dokja. 」

I didn’t know if the real Kim Dokja existed in this world or not.

「 Nevertheless, this is still a story about Kim Dokja. 」

Fortunately, lying was my greatest skill.

I offered a faint, bitter smile and waved to them.

「 However, it is not a story about just one Kim Dokja. 」