Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Novel MTL - Chapter 675

Chapter 675

Sparks erupted violently as the screen was ripped apart from top to bottom.

[A catastrophic error has been detected in the Beginning Theater!]

On the other side of the torn display, the absolute blackness of the void shimmered. A gateway leading into nothingness.

I turned for a final glimpse of the audience. I saw rlaehrwk37 on her feet, her eyes fixed on me. The very first Kim Dokja to believe in me. Noh Jiyoon, the daughter of Lee Dansu.

«I promise I will return for you.»

Asmodeus’s furious cry echoed behind me as I leaped through the shredded screen, pulling Yoo Jonghyuk with me.

[A temporary malfunction has disrupted the ‘scenario’!]

A sensation of time and space churning violently, as if my body were dissolving into its base cells. Even so, I refused to release my hold on Yoo Jonghyuk.

The irony wasn’t lost on me. Yoo Jonghyuk of the 41st regression and myself, just 49% of Kim Dokja. Was there a more disastrous pairing?

«Don’t you dare die on me.»

My vision swam once more, a feeling of being hurled through the cosmos. The transfer finalized. I crashed against a hard surface, pain erupting through me as if every bone had shattered.

«Yoo Jonghyuk.»

Yoo Jonghyuk remained silent and still. Had something happened to leave him comatose?

«Haven’t you been unconscious long enough?»

Gasping for air, I surveyed our surroundings. We had escaped the theater, that much was good. But why had we been dumped in a place like this? A deep, penetrating cold began to seep into my very core. My breath misted in the air. Nothing but an expanse of pure black emptiness in every direction.

[Your current location is not a scenario zone.]

A world without stars. Within the vast darkness of a cosmos consumed by void, I sensed the gaze of nameless deities looking down upon us. I lifted my head toward the sky, a bitter laugh escaping me for a fate that would leave no record.

I understood completely.

[You have been expelled from the scenario.]

Of course. We had fallen into the ‘Great Hall’.

A voice called to me from within the darkness.

[Penalty for scenario departure is now in effect.]

Han Sooyoung sighed with utter disgust, taking stock of her body. Each breath was a struggle, a feeling akin to drowning in scalding water. Blood steadily flowed from the grievous wound in her abdomen. The vision in her left eye was blurred, her optic nerve damaged. Her right shoulder was a shattered, useless mess, and a deep gash pierced her kneecap. It was a miracle her heart continued to beat.

When was the last time she had been this severely injured? She reflected that it was probably back in the 1865th turn. While hunting the iron-blooded dragon with Yoo Jonghyuk, exhausted and waiting for Lee Seolhwa to arrive.

「 «This is a bit unfair.» 」

Raising her head, she seemed to see that night’s sky again. Lying next to each other on the dead dragon’s tail, Yoo Jonghyuk had spoken in his typically grim tone.

「 «I should have told you that you could have the item.» 」

「 «That’s not what I mean.» 」

Han Sooyoung let out a soft sigh and continued.
「 «I was just thinking about who would ever know we fought like this here.» 」

She immediately regretted saying it. Complaining was unlike her. Han Sooyoung shook her head quickly and spoke again.

「 «What’s the point in telling you—» 」

「 «Is that why you write a novel?» 」

Han Sooyoung was taken aback by Yoo Jonghyuk’s quiet question. She knew she had been secretly leaving records everywhere, hiding it from Kim Dokja. She had never spoken of it. Yet, it seemed Yoo Jonghyuk had known all along.

「 «I can’t possibly write everything down.» 」

The record of the 1,865th round was incomplete. She was losing memories in real-time from using her [Avatar], and her companions were in no better state. To clear the scenarios with minimal sacrifice, they had all fought desperately, and in return, each had lost parts of their stories. A constant cycle of recording and forgetting.

「 «There is no need to record every single thing.» 」

Words from a man who had remembered, and forgotten, more than anyone. Han Sooyoung spoke as if pushing back.

「 «But some things are too important to lose.» 」

「 «When I regress, I often forget things.» 」

It was rare for Yoo Jonghyuk to speak of himself. Han Sooyoung listened intently.

「 «However, memories from past rounds are not always useful.» 」

Han Sooyoung knew what he meant. After so many regressions, he must have accumulated countless memories he’d rather forget. Some would have tormented him, others would have clouded his objective judgment.

「 «There were times I forgot something and discovered a superior method in the next round.» 」

Perhaps Han Sooyoung herself might one day choose to forget a painful memory. To clear a scenario, she might sacrifice a memory precious to her without ever knowing its value.

「 «Don’t you want to recover the memories you’ve lost?» 」

At her question, Yoo Jonghyuk considered for a moment before answering.

「 «A memory’s disappearance does not erase the place it once occupied. And there is someone with a better memory than mine.» 」

She didn’t need to ask who.

「 «Were you writing the story for him?» 」

「 «Yes.» 」

「 «Do you believe he would blame you for not writing everything?» 」

Han Sooyoung hadn’t been able to answer then. The reply she couldn’t give then came to her now.

«If it’s Kim Dokja…»

Han Sooyoung thought of Kim Dokja. He loved stories more than anyone in the world. If it were him, he would obsess over the plots she hadn’t written, reasoning between events, debating their networks of meaning on his own. One day, he might even argue with her. After a long complaint about her writing choices, questioning if it was plagiarized from the original ‘Ways of Survival’, he would finally read the story she didn’t write. He would finally complete her sentences with a narrative better than any she could have penned.

[The constellation ‘Lotus Flower Blooming Under the Moonlight’ suggests you should stop entering.]

[The constellation ‘Sneaky Schemer’ is expressing concern for you.]

Han Sooyoung slowly pushed herself up. Fighting any further in this state was impossible. She knew instinctively; the damage was too severe. Not only was progressing in a normal scenario out of the question, but full recovery would also require extensive treatment. So, this was where she would leave this world. Her foolish obsession was to quit, to return the way she came with her companions. Finding the path back to the first portal Kim Dokja had prepared seemed difficult now.

It’ll be fine.

*Tsutsutsu-*

A faint spark flew as she reached into her pocket. Her hand emerged holding a piece of lemon candy given to her by Kim Dokja. Han Sooyoung looked down at it, unwrapped it, and placed it in her mouth. The moment the sweet lemon flavor spread, she suddenly understood why Kim Dokja had come to this world. She understood why this world needed to exist.

「 «There were times I couldn’t remember something and found a better way in the next round.» 」

Simultaneously, she realized why she herself had needed to come here. Han Sooyoung looked up at the starless sky. The swirling Great Hall. Her constellation seemed to have vanished, but she could imagine its gaze upon her. She felt it.

Han Sooyoung contemplated the final sentence she would write.

No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn’t find a way back to the original scenario. The reason Yoo Jonghyuk and I were here was undoubtedly due to Representative Kim Dokja. It was his revenge. The problem was, this revenge could get us both killed.

An intense chill gripped my entire body. Cold sweat trickled down my spine. My heart hammered violently against my ribs.

*Tsutsutsutsu-*

A terrifying fear that my existence could blink out at any moment. All I could do was press my lips together and hold my breath.

[You are currently outside the scenario area.]
[Your body is in an extremely critical condition.]

I knew exactly what this foreshadowed. It was the same when Kim Dokja was first cast into the demon world.

—Dammit! Just 10… no, 15 minutes. Hold on!

A miracle?

Bihyung’s voice reached me faintly from somewhere.

—I’ll find a way to connect the channel and summon you back, just hold on…

But the voice cut off abruptly, and the cold returned with a vengeance. I looked back at Yoo Jonghyuk, my consciousness spasming. If I was in this state, what about him?

[The ‘Tales of the Other World’ is protecting this incarnation.]

A small blessing amidst the disaster. Yoo Jonghyuk, on the verge of ascension, was temporarily connected to the ‘Divine God of the Other World’. This meant the ‘Divine God of the Other World’ linked to him was also sharing the penalty for leaving the scenario.

How many minutes passed like that?

[A temporary channel has been established.]

A short message rang in my head. Had Bihyung succeeded? A flicker of hope ignited within me. If I could just receive a sub-scenario, I could stave off existential collapse, just as Kim Dokja had maintained his legend in the demon world.

[The constellations of the Nebula <Asgard> are observing you.]

…Asgard?

[The Nebula <Asgard> offers to provide a sub-scenario if you join as their incarnation.]

A stroke of sudden luck?

[Accepting this offer will bind you to obey <Asgard>’s commands for the next 200 years.]

My jaw went slack with disbelief. The offers didn’t stop there.

[The constellations of the Nebula <Olympus> are observing you.]
[The constellations of the Nebula <Olympus> offer aid if you become their incarnation.]
[Accepting this offer will enslave you to the Nebula ‘Olympus’ for the next 50 years.]

I let out a hollow laugh. I felt I finally understood Kim Dokja’s deep-seated anger toward the Nebulae. These were the constellations. Beings who exploited incarnations for their amusement, by any means necessary.

«I refuse.»

In my arrogance, having read this entire story, I had momentarily forgotten their true nature.

[The constellations of the Nebula <Asgard> are shamed by your refusal.]
[The constellations of the Nebula <Olympus> lament your foolishness.]

Was it a penalty for rejection? The cold permeating my body intensified sharply. I hugged my trembling shoulders tightly and activated [Incite]. I just had to hold on until Bihyung returned.

«I am Kim Dokja…»

Perhaps due to the wild sparks flying, [Incite] failed to activate properly. Instead, Kim Dokja’s memories flooded my closed eyes.

「 «Two years is longer than amortization.» 」

I couldn’t place when that memory was from. A memory absent from ORV. Someone spoke within it.

「 «Soon, I will have spent more time with you than the Kim Dokja I knew. I will lose.» 」

I looked around, chewing on that memory.

「 «If the real ‘me’ comes back, what happens to the ‘me’ that exists now?» 」

In the memory, I felt both happiness and profound sadness.

「 «The existence of another ‘me’ doesn’t mean this ‘me’ disappears.» 」

「 «You can believe there are 1,864 more of those bastards!» 」

The reason for my happiness was Kim Dokja; the reason for my sorrow was also Kim Dokja. I reached a hand toward the blurring memories and muttered.

«I am…»

Just then, someone shook my shoulder. A gradual warmth spread through me, pushing back the encroaching cold. The storm of memories settled. I opened my eyes. Someone was looking down at me.

«Are you okay?»

I stared at her blankly. A dream? I shook my head several times, but it wasn’t. A story was being transmitted through the small hand on my shoulder. Warm, gentle sentences, written by someone who loved this world, were conveyed to me in full.

«Han Sooyoung.»

Han Sooyoung looked back at me, her expression blank.

«You…»

Just as I had read her story, she had read mine. She was silent for a long moment before speaking.

«…Kim Dokja?»

I recognized the faint hope and despair lacing that question. My answer was already decided.

«It’s been a while, Han Sooyoung.»