Chapter 733

Of course. Here is the paraphrased chapter:

Ye Hyunwoo, Cha Yerin, and the uncle, Dansu, who were all channeling magical energy, simultaneously turned to stare at Yoo Jonghyuk.

The looks on their faces questioned whether he was in his right mind.

Dansu ahjussi, his cognition clearly struggling, was the one who spoke.

«What did you say…»

I could just make out Ye Hyunwoo’s quiet mutter.

«Ha, so there was a setting like that.»

The Killer King, still bound to his chair, shook his head in a show of admiration.

«Now that is the real Supreme King.»

He truly was the Supreme King, and if this continued, the entire narrative would unravel. The brick house was visibly weakening in real time.

[The representation of ‘staging’ is weakening!]

If the 「staging」 collapsed, the tale would cease its storytelling.

In that case, the constellations forcibly bound to this stage would be free to leave without suffering any major consequences.

[Some constellations in the nebula <Zodiac> are taunting you.]

[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ looks excited.]

[The constellation ‘Reclining Dragon’ is curious about your plan.]

If things kept going this way, every plan would crumble along with the brick house.

Dust and sand rained down, scattering across my face. I looked at the grime in my hand and asked.

«Can’t you just refuse to eat ‘food’ made by someone else?»

Yoo Jonghyuk’s eyes met mine.

«What?»

“Doesn’t it only matter that your stomach gets full, no matter what it’s filled with?»

«You, you can’t possibly—»

For the first time, a flicker of fear showed in little Yoo Jonghyuk’s eyes. Regardless, I brought the handful of powder up to his mouth.

«Eat it, you bastard!»

The young Yoo Jonghyuk resisted stubbornly.

My companions all stared at me.

«Are you seriously trying to feed him dirt?»

«No, you can’t do that to a child—»

«As expected of Kim Dokja.»

Ignoring them, I pried open little Yoo Jonghyuk’s mouth and forced him to swallow what was in my hand. His throat trembled as he swallowed.

I finally let out a sigh and said.

«You can’t actually eat real dirt, can you?»

Of course, I might have been able to use the [Incite] skill, but I didn’t want to resort to that here.

«Ah.»

Cha Yerin noticed a small piece in my palm and gasped softly. She seemed to have realized belatedly what it was.

What I had fed him were fragments of stories.

More specifically, it was a portion of the ‘story fragment’ that the ‘Heir of the Eternal Name’ had consumed.

[The story ‘Heir of the Eternal Name’ looks displeased.]

[Your lifespan decreases.]

A ‘story fragment’ I had only managed to acquire after much pleading.

«If it’s a story fragment, even he can eat it.»

Yoo Jonghyuk, twisted since birth, has a ‘fixed setting’ where he refuses to eat food he didn’t prepare himself.

There is an exception for ‘Murim dumplings’, but I don’t know how to make those.

So the next available option was ‘story fragments’.

«Yoo Jonghyuk. Snap out of it.»

This was because even Yoo Jonghyuk, who refuses food from others, has accepted stories from other people before.

The issue was that the look in Yoo Jonghyuk’s eyes as he received it was distinctly bitter.

«Yoo Jonghyuk?»

If there had been another way, I would have taken it.

In ‘Ways of Survival’, it was written that Yoo Jonghyuk once received an improper infusion of a military story from Lee Hyunsung and briefly lost his mind.

But there was no alternative now. I had to get something into him to fill his stomach.

[The story ‘Heir of the Eternal Name’ grins.]

Wait a second. But which story is Yoo Jonghyuk currently obsessed with?

Yoo Jonghyuk was trembling, his eyes rolling back. He just looked up at me before lowering his head to the ground.

And then.

«No, wait.»

*Thump thump. Thump thump.*

«Hey! Spit that out! Don’t just pick things up and eat them!»

Somehow, he had started digging into the earth. Yoo Jonghyuk’s eyes gradually regained their focus. With dirt at the corner of his mouth, he glared at me, his eyes wide.

«You bastard, you made me go through that, didn’t you?»

The talkative Killer King answered for me.

«It’s dirt.»

«I don’t eat dirt.»

«No, you eat dirt. That’s Yoo Jonghyuk.»

The Killer King gestured with his chin toward the window. Little Yoo Jonghyuk stared blankly at his own reflection, at the dirt on his mouth.

I did my best to avoid the young Yoo Jonghyuk’s gaze.

[Story fragment ‘The man who eats eight meals a day’ is satisfied.]

[The conditions for ‘staging’ have been met.]

[The constellation ‘The First Pig To Die’ screams.]

The story was enriched once more. As the crumbling stage solidified again, the pig constellations that had been ready to retreat surged forward.

[The constellation ‘Pig who built his house out of wood’ groans.]

Hang in there, pigs. Unless you want your story stolen by a wolf.

[Some constellations in the nebula <Zodiac> are showing hostility towards you.]

The storm began to rage again.

I didn’t know how much time had passed. Had I been this exhausted since being trapped inside the ichthyosaur?

[The head of the Recycling Center admires your determination.]

The party members supplying magical energy were also exhausted, one after another. Some were slumped against the wall, gasping, or had completely passed out.

I too was on the verge of losing consciousness. What kept me going was the story being etched onto the opposite wall.

「 A wolf howled in the storm. 」

A storm came, and the brick house held firm against the wind. A new story was born each time the wind scarred the wall.

「 A lone wolf who lost his home asked. 」

It was a new story about wolves.

「 «Is that your home?» asked the lone wolf. 」

「 «Then where is my home?» 」

The brick house gave no answer.

「 «If I can’t have a house.» 」

Then the wolf spoke.

「 «I will not stop the storm until every house in the world is destroyed.» 」

Every story was written on the ‘wall’.

Because a wall exists, events finally become ‘stories’, and constellations can safely indulge in them.

[The constellation ‘Reclining Dragon’ is impressed by your ‘hands-on-slaughter’ skill.]

[Animal-shaped constellations not part of the Chinese zodiac are amazed by your story.]

Yes, look all you want.

[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ appreciates the wolves’ sensibility.]

[Some constellations from the Chinese Zodiac are angered by your story.]

Using the trait of [Circulatory Conservation], I gathered every bit of magical energy I could to reinforce the ‘Brick House’.

I wanted to make this story last a little longer.

[The constellation ‘The First Pig To Die’ screams!]

[The constellation ‘Pig That Built its House out of Wood’ cries out for help!]

It was then that something broke.

A nauseating feeling twisted my stomach, and a mouthful of blood spilled onto the floor. My head spun.

The moment I looked up to see what happened.

[The story ‘The Three Little Pigs’ is destroyed.]

[Some constellations corresponding to ‘Pig’ in the Chinese zodiac have suffered a massive blow to their true bodies!]

[The constellation ‘The Pig That Died First’ exits the scenario.]

[The constellation ‘The Pig That Built its House out of Wood’ exits the scenario.]

Only then did I understand what had occurred.

[‘Staging’ ends.]

The constellations had been defeated.

[‘The God of the Other World’ roars!]

[Some constellations belonging to the Nebula <Zodiac> are afraid of the ‘God of the Other World’.]

Perhaps it was inevitable.

No matter how low-ranking the ‘God of the Other World’ was, a mere great-grade constellation couldn’t possibly rush in and suppress the power of an Outer God.

[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ mocks the constellations, asking if that’s all they’re afraid of.]

From this point on, it was a complete gamble.

«Don’t open the door.»

Little Yoo Jonghyuk spoke quietly, as if he knew what I intended to do.

«If you go out, you will die.»

«Even if we stay, everyone will still die.»

«But—»

«Don’t worry.»

I gave little Yoo Jonghyuk’s shoulder a light tap and spoke.

«No one is going to die.»

When I opened the door, the streets of Zone 13 were revealed, swallowed by an eerie silence.

It was strange. It was utterly quiet despite the raging storm.

Yet, the pressure bearing down on my entire body was many times greater than when I had faced the ‘Wolf Constellation’ earlier.

It didn’t take long to comprehend the situation.

「 Eye of the storm. 」

Our ‘Brick House’ was now precisely at the very ‘center’ of the storm.

「Staging」 could no longer protect us. If the storm twisted in any direction, the brick house would be shredded.

«O great god of the other world.»

I took a slow, deep breath and spoke.

«Stop the storm. Haven’t you had your fill of stories?»

A new story was sprouting where the tale of 「The Three Little Pigs」 had been destroyed.

[Your new story begins to germinate.]

This story would now become the story of the wolf and us.

And perhaps the ‘God of the Other World’ who brought this storm could also claim a share.

«The ending is what matters most in any story.»

‘Gods of the Other World’ vary in rank according to their status.

The ancient species that once shook the entire scenario are crowned ‘Old Ones’, and the dominant species that filled the universe with fear are crowned ‘Great Old Ones’.

But regardless of their original grade, they all share one common trait.

«You can now go ‘home’.»

They are deities who were exiled from the scenario, lost their constellation bodies, and were left with nowhere to belong.

They wander the world endlessly, searching for a place. After long wanderings, some become disasters in other worldlines, while others collude with dokkaebis.

«The story can only be complete if you stop the storm here.»

And some make an ‘otherworldly covenant’.

[‘The god of another world’ is looking at you.]

All ‘Gods of the Other World’ are profoundly lonely.

«It means you will have a constellation body to reside in.»

My body shook under his gaze. A normal incarnation would have had their eyes bleed.

Yet, I endured.

[The story ‘Heir of the Eternal Name’ gives a light yawn.]

The ‘Heir of the Eternal Name’ is a story about defeating the ‘founder of the Absolute Throne’.

Meaning, I possessed greater resistance to the gods of the other world than anyone else.

In fact, this world’s god seemed perplexed seeing me like that.

But only for a moment.

【My house vanished long ago.】

The terrible storm began to move again. A force capable of tearing me apart at any second.

«Four winds meet to form a direction, and four more winds are added to that direction. It forms the tomb of the eight trigrams.»

I slowly closed my eyes and felt the wind blowing.

As if I had become a ‘wall’ myself.

As if the story of that wind would be inscribed upon my body.

I uttered the words with all my strength, pressing down to carve them into reality.

«Thereby the wind exists everywhere and nowhere.»

Instantly, the churning storm halted as if by magic.

【How do you know that enlightenment?】

Through the slowly clearing storm, the form of the God of the Other World was revealed.

I smiled, looking at that being’s story.

«How would I know?»

It seemed the Wolf Constellation had successfully summoned the ‘God of the Other World’ I had in mind.

However, I couldn’t be certain that this ‘God of this world’ was the ‘wolf’ from the ‘world line’ I knew.

Yet, just as Asmodeus appeared in this 41st round, and just as <Kim Dokja Company> was here—if that wolf had also endured the long years and ultimately become a ‘God of Another World’…

Slowly, the wide-eyed wolf approached me.

【It can’t be.】

If I were ‘Lee Hakhyun’, this gamble would have been impossible.

But now I was acting under the name ‘Kim Dokja’.

If that were the case, then it was possible.

[The synchronization rate with the sponsor is increasing!]

The wolf hurried toward me. Judging his height to be around three meters, his initial description came back to me.

「 He is about three meters tall. He is a wind fighter with both monster-like stamina and giant-like strength. 」

The wolf slowly lowered its gaze to me. For a long time, it looked at me, as if reading the story buried deep within my eyes.

【Ho, hogu? Is it really you?】

He was the ‘guide’ of the destroyed planet Kronos.

The prince of Imyuntar who taught Kim Dokja the [Way of the Wind].

«It is you, Lycaon Isparang.»

Kim Dokja once said: Those who make an ‘Outer World Covenant’ will never be able to see the true ◼️◼️.

But in the end, he too made a covenant with another world. He probably never found the answer either. Because this damned world is designed so that no one can ever reach the correct ◼️◼️, no matter what they do.

The same was true for me.

«Make an ‘Outer World Covenant’ with me.»

No matter how much I thought about it, this was the only way to fight against the Zodiac.

[Some constellations belonging to the nebula <Zodiac> request a ‘probability judgment’ regarding the ‘Zone 13’ incident.]

[Some constellations belonging to the nebula <Olympus> ask for your permission to enter the ‘Recycling Center’.]

[Some constellations belonging to the nebula <Vedas> ask for your permission to enter the ‘Recycling Center’.]

[Some constellations belonging to the nebula <Tamra>…]

Indirect messages from constellations poured in endlessly.

When the Recycling Center director waved his hand in the air as if annoyed, the messages scattered like a swarm of insects.

A screen appeared where the messages had been.

A screen showing the scenery of Zone 13.

[As you know, I enjoy ‘old stories’.]

The head of the Recycling Center smiled, watching the incarnation and the wolf facing each other on the screen.

[The fact that you are moved by that story suggests your own story has already become an ‘old story’.]

As he said this, he glanced back at the flask behind him.

Inside a huge, person-sized flask was a man in a white coat, his eyes closed.

The Recycling Center director slowly placed his hand on the flask’s wall and asked.

[How many points would you give that story, Demon King of Salvation?]