Chapter 757

Episode 32: Monkey King (4)
Losing all awareness that you are even reading a sentence.

Being completely drawn into the narrative, becoming the protagonist, and having the protagonist become you.

[Your ‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’ has attained a new stage.]

There is a term for that enchanting instant everyone encounters when immersed in a book.

[You have achieved the state of pendulum experience.]

Pendulum experience.

The act of perceiving another’s life as your own, transcending the barriers of paper and text.

[The Void Curtain is observing you.]

All that remains is to turn to the next chapter.

I felt certain that the story I longed for was waiting just beyond this point.

【◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️You cannot cross this line】

Then, a hand gripped my shoulder.

Just a little farther. The tale I crave is right there.

Then a voice from within me replied.

【It will only take a second. It’s not as if I’m truly crossing.】

【No one can challenge fate】

That internal voice spoke once more.

【For the sake of this magnificent ‘record’, please overlook it just this once.】

For a heartbeat, time appeared to stand still. It felt as if a far-off corner of the cosmos was gently giving its assent.

A single page was handed over. It was so dense it felt suffocating. Struggling to navigate through the text, I at last located the line I had been searching for.

「 Yoo Jonghyuk, seated with his legs crossed, revisited a memory from the distant past. 」

I began to read the words.

Yoo Jonghyuk, seated with his legs crossed, revisited a memory from the distant past.

It was the voyage to bring Kim Dokja back. Recollections of navigating the cosmos alongside Biyoo. A time when Han Sooyoung’s stories were disseminated across the universe.

The grueling journey slowly wore Yoo Jonghyuk down, and he pushed himself harder to ignore his growing fatigue.

He needed to keep moving.

[Captain, we should take a break here.]

He sat with Biyoo on a strange bench in an unknown location on an unfamiliar planet and gazed up at the known sky.

Under that sky, Yoo Jonghyuk was struck by how foreign the path they had traveled felt.

Would they truly reunite with Kim Dokja at the end of this journey? Was that foolish individual still alive somewhere among them?

[Everyone needs to rest occasionally.]

Yoo Jonghyuk pondered the silent stars. He remembered the sponsor he had lost and pictured another version of himself who had achieved his ◼️◼️ — the ‘Secretive Plotter’.

Would he, too, ever experience a moment like that of the ‘Secretive Plotter’?

Could there be some form of redemption after this arduous existence?

Yoo Jonghyuk found it difficult to envision. His own ◼️◼️ felt as remote as Kim Dokja’s now fading features.

Would he understand once this journey concluded?

Why was he born, why did he live, and why does he continue in this world?

[Captain, have you ever considered that?]

Yoo Jonghyuk responded to Biyoo’s question after a slight pause.

«What.»

[I believe there could be a happier universe where none of these calamities ever happened.]

Yoo Jonghyuk reflected on that peculiar phrase for a moment before speaking.

«Without those tragedies, we would not be who we are now.»

Biyoo pressed her lips together, as if that wasn’t the response she expected, and then continued.

[Yet, it’s possible to dream of another reality.]

«What kind of reality?»

[One without scenarios, where the stars are silent. But that world has its own sorrows.]

«…»

[The greatest tragedy there is oversleeping and arriving late to school.]

Yoo Jonghyuk listened quietly to Biyoo.

[Also, the lunch that day is unappetizing. Using the money meant for supplies to visit a PC room and then being discovered by your parents.]

Yoo Jonghyuk attempted to picture the world Biyoo described.

But such a world refused to take shape in his mind.

He had never attended school regularly, never eaten a meal without considering its purpose, and he had never had parents to scold him.

«You are the Dokkaebi King now. Why would you yearn for such things?»

[Why? Is it wrong to miss them?]

Hearing that, Yoo Jonghyuk sifted through his old memories. A specific face surfaced in his thoughts.

A girl who often smiled radiantly. A child who always addressed him as ‘captain’ and trailed after him.

“You were Shin Yoosoung from the 41st round.»

[Well, in terms of origin, that’s correct.]

«Do you still hold it against me?»

Yoo Jonghyuk remembered Shin Yoosoung, the ‘Disaster of Floods’. She had journeyed to the past to alter the future, but Shin Yoosoung had been let down by him. Shin Yoosoung had attempted to end his life.

The expression in her eyes was unforgettable.

[No. Those memories are mostly faded now.]

The girl, reborn as a dokkaebi, having let go of all bitterness and anger, spoke.

Watching Biyoo, Yoo Jonghyuk felt a vague, unidentifiable emotion.

So where does the Shin Yoosoung of the 41st round exist now? What occupies the void left behind after all that anger and resentment has vanished?

As if comprehending Yoo Jonghyuk’s unspoken questions, Biyoo spoke.

[It’s not so terrible to have empty spaces in your memory. Those blanks can be filled with new dreams.]

«In the 41st round, I committed an irreversible act.»

[That may be true. But that round wasn’t devoid of good moments.]

Biyoo murmured, as if tracing the echoes of the lost 41st round.

[So, try to envision the most enjoyable possibilities. There must have been an incredible adventure in that 41st round. It’s simply that the captain, myself, and everyone else have forgotten.]

«…»

[Did you know? I might have attended school in that round. The captain could have been present at my graduation.]

Naturally, such an event was impossible, yet Biyoo continued.

[Perhaps there was a Dokja in that round as well.]

«That cannot be.»

[It’s only a daydream. Because dreaming is enjoyable.]

Yoo Jonghyuk contemplated his own existence in the 41st round.

He was unaware of his own emotions or experiences during that time.

What drove him to send Shin Yoosoung to the past? What catastrophe did he confront that made that seem like the sole option?

[You’re becoming too solemn. I said to have fun with your imagination! Isn’t that right?]

Yoo Jonghyuk remained silent, looking out at the street. The sunset lingered. Students were walking home from school as the evening light washed over Silgaecheon.

«I refuse.»

[Doesn’t the captain have a life he dreams of?]

The life he dreamed of. If such a thing existed, his life should have transformed once the scenarios concluded.

[Well, if that were the case, the captain wouldn’t be without a profession. The captain is truly unfortunate.]

«I am neither unfortunate nor without a profession.»

[Exactly. That’s what imagination does.]

«It is not my imagination. I have consistently practiced with the sword.»

[What was your purpose in training with the sword?]

What was his goal in honing his sword skills? Yoo Jonghyuk found himself at a loss for words.

The constellations he once observed in the sky were no longer there. There was no one left to acknowledge his dedication to the sword.

[Were you aiming to be a kendo athlete, like Heewon-ssi?]

«That was never my intention.»

[Then you are simply an unemployed individual skilled with a sword.]

Why did he train with the sword?

Just as Yoo Jonghyuk, after a long period of reflection, was on the verge of finding an answer—

«I—»

The sounds of teenagers echoed from the direction of Silgaecheon. A girl shouted, «Let’s go to the PC room!» A boy nearby scowled. Then a slender, pale boy placed the frowning boy in a headlock.

«Hey! Let’s go!»

The moment he heard that boy’s voice, Yoo Jonghyuk sprang to his feet.

[Captain?]

Yoo Jonghyuk began descending the hill. His pace, initially slow, quickened steadily. Yoo Jonghyuk ran toward the boy, his breath catching, and seized him by the shoulder.

The boy scowled and turned to face him.

«Who are you?»

«What’s your problem, mister?»

The boy with a blunt expression seized Yoo Jonghyuk’s arm, while the girl, as if shielding the boy, glared threateningly at Yoo Jonghyuk.

Yoo Jonghyuk promptly released his grip.

«My apologies. I mistook you for someone else.»

The boy and girl muttered complaints and continued on their way.

Observing their backs, which were both unfamiliar and known, Yoo Jonghyuk was suddenly struck by a thought.

«Perhaps that boy.»

Could he be, as Biyoo suggested, a reincarnated Kim Dokja who had forgotten all his sorrows at the end of his cycles?

Yoo Jonghyuk observed the boy and the girl beside him. A blunt boy who shared an odd resemblance to himself, and a girl with distinctive teardrop marks like Han Sooyoung.

Naturally, these children were neither Yoo Jonghyuk nor Han Sooyoung. Even aware of this, Yoo Jonghyuk couldn’t shake the peculiar sensation.

What if such a narrative truly existed somewhere in this vast universe?

Biyoo’s soft, laughing voice brushed against his ears.

[See? Even the captain has a story he imagines.]

Yoo Jonghyuk gradually opened his eyes, emerging from the whirlwind of his memories.

Pure white steam rose from his body as he sat in meditation. The injuries from his intense battle with Odin had darkened.

‘I pushed myself too far.’

Yoo Jonghyuk recalled the final, brutal conflict. Blocking Odin’s spear, defeating the legendary constellations of <Asgard>, hurling his incarnation against the void curtain, and suffering the backlash of probability.

Had ‘Monarch Slayer’ Jaehwan not intervened, he would have been consumed by the flow of probability and lost forever.

‘Monarch Slayer.’

Yoo Jonghyuk thought of Jaehwan. There was no trace of his restorative miracle nearby. He was likely roaming the Star Stream once more, pursuing the elusive original species.

‘You expended too much probability. It wasn’t meant for use here.’

His initial plan was to conserve that probability for a crucial moment.

If he hadn’t sensed Kim Dokja’s presence in the ‘Washington Dome’, he wouldn’t have taken such a dangerous gamble.

「 Kim Dokja. 」

The moment Yoo Jonghyuk thought that name, a familiar sensation washed over him.

The feeling of being watched. Yoo Jonghyuk recognized this sensation.

That unique skill belonging to the ever-talkative guy, which manifested magically whenever he was thought of.

Yoo Jonghyuk instinctively glanced upward into space.

The instant Yoo Jonghyuk’s eyes met mine, I flinched and switched the view.

That was truly ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’.

It was unbelievable. I couldn’t comprehend how this was happening.

If I had to rationalize it, my current situation could be described as follows.

「 I am the ‘world line’ from [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint]. I have crossed the boundary. 」

A voice from a different world line reached me, and I pursued it, transcending the barrier of the world line to arrive here—to where ‘Yoo Jonghyuk of <Kim Dokja Company>’ exists.

Uncertain of the mechanics, but the mere reality of it set my heart pounding.

What if I could observe the other members of <Kim Dokja Company> as I did Yoo Jonghyuk?

No, beyond mere observation—

「 «Dokja ahjussi.» 」

If only I could share my ‘story’ with them.

「 «Dokja ahjussi.» 」

If I follow this voice, could I encounter the others?

I focused my attention once more. Gradually, my vision sharpened, revealing a new setting.

Somehow, recognizable voices reached me through the fuzzy air.

«Noona, why isn’t anything showing up?»

«Hmm. Biyoo assured us we could see it this way.»

«Could the Other Worlds Device be malfunctioning?»

«Hey! Lee Gilyoung! Stop kicking that!»

«The grimy guy did it before and it was fine.»

«Master, honestly. Unnie, which channel is this broadcast on?»

«It was the Gourmet Association.»

«Should I go and confront the Gourmet Association kids?»

«Ah, it’s working! The screen is activating!»

And moments later.

«Ahjussi! It’s him!»

«He looks exactly like Dokja ahjussi.»

«But his situation appears dire…»

«Wait, why is he unconscious over there? Doesn’t someone need to assist him?»

«External constellations are barred from interfering in the Recycling Center.»

«But we can’t just abandon him!»

My eyes snapped open. I saw familiar faces gathered around a small screen.

I instinctively reached out toward them…

…I have hands?

Sensation returned throughout my body.

How was this possible?

I turned my stiff neck and examined my hands and feet.

They were noticeably smaller than my own.

Then a woman with lovely brown hair turned toward me.

In person, her face was even more reminiscent of Ji Eunyu.

«Little Dokja, you’re awake?»

I was suddenly lifted into the air, now fully empathizing with Meihouwang, who had been cradled in Ji Eunyu’s embrace.

«I want to hold him too!»

«You’re awake?»

Two children dashed over. Witnessing that scene, an indescribable emotion welled up inside me.

«Shall we watch together?»

The screen my companions were focused on came into view, accompanied by a warm voice. On the display, an unconscious figure was visible, along with Ji Eunyu maneuvering a carriage and Cha Yerin.

「 «Yerin-ssi. Do you know how to operate this?» 」

「 «I am underage.» 」

In this surreal setting, I finally grasped what had transpired.

[The story ‘Heir to the Eternal Name’ is responding.]

[The story ‘Heir to the Eternal Name’ is growing fond of the ‘Kim Dokja Fragment’ you have acquired.]

Small hands, small feet. A tiny body that struggled to rise on its own.

It was undeniable.

[Exclusive skill ‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Level 3’ is active.]

I had become the ‘kkoma Kim Dokja’ nurtured by the Kim Dokja Company.