Chapter 760
760 Episode 32 Monkey King (7)
It’s possible that even Kim Dokja had never heard the voices of the ‘Gods of the Other World’ as frequently as I do now.
Where the constellations’ voices were distinct and resonant, the ‘God of the Other World’’s speech felt more like a dissonant noise.
An infinitely unsettling sound that seemed to violate this world’s very system.
Yet, even within this disquiet, there was a certain texture. Some disturbances felt hot and humid, while others were cold and severe.
And the voice I had just heard was unmistakably the latter.
The deep freeze of winter.
A voice emanating from the farthest reaches of the universe, cold as absolute zero.
Not Asmodeus.
So who was it?
What I knew for certain was that it was a voice I felt I’d heard before.
And the being who owned this voice was the one who had helped me and <Kim Dokja Company> find each other.
I wanted to ask.
Even if I am to be destroyed as you claim, I need to know why Kim Dokja did not return.
But my voice remained trapped, and all I could manage was to blink my eyes as hard as I could.
【Then.】
Fortunately, the voice’s owner understood the signal.
【Ascend to the highest floor of the ‘Recycling Center’. The ‘story’ you seek will be there.】
[Stage 3 of the exclusive skill ‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’ is unlocked.]
Two carriages slammed into ours from both sides with a deafening crash.
The shriek of grinding wheels.
«Yerin-ssi!»
Cha Yerin pushed the acceleration button, but the opposing carriages were quicker.
As the carriages closed in, the three vehicles became entangled, rattling precariously.
«Sorry. My driving isn’t the best—»
«No. This isn’t your fault, Yerin-ssi.»
Cha Yerin had accelerated correctly. The issue was with the other carriage.
«That carriage, it has options installed.»
[Exclusive skill ‘Edit Lv.10’ is activated.]
As Ji Eunyu’s exclusive skill [Edit] activated, the composition of the opposing carriage’s story became clear.
[Story fragment ‘Major Haste’ continues its storytelling.]
[Story fragment ‘Courner’ continues its storytelling.]
Ji Eunyu frowned.
«Why don’t we have anything like that?»
It was obvious these weren’t original fittings. If they were, the same ‘story fragments’ would have been detected on their own carriage.
They must have acquired that piece from somewhere and installed it.
[The constellation ‘Snake Cutting Its Tail’ grins.]
It appeared someone from the Chinese zodiac had resorted to underhanded tactics.
They likely learned about the ‘Recycling Center’ scenario beforehand and covertly aided their incarnation.
«Meihouwang! Wake up! We need to make something like that too!»
But Meihouwang continued to snore, undisturbed. The man beside her was also still asleep.
Meanwhile, the pressure from both sides intensified.
«Give me Kim Dokja!»
A voice shouted from somewhere. She thought she might have misheard, but listening again confirmed it.
«Give me Kim Dokja!»
Ji Eunyu let out a short laugh.
«He was like this throughout the main story, and it’s no different here.»
«…»
«Huh? Yerin-ssi, did you just laugh?»
«No.»
They both glanced at the sleeping man’s face. He had said he would be back in one minute, but it felt like ten had already passed.
Yet neither woke him. They trusted that if he wasn’t waking up, he had a reason.
The number of carriages crowding outside the window multiplied.
Three, four, five.
Ji Eunyu hesitated, then drew a dagger from her chest and began to sharpen it.
[You begin cleaning the relic ‘Ghost’.]
Cha Yerin, watching her, spoke.
«Eunyu-ssi.»
«Yes.»
«Are you close with the author?»
«Well, we endured some hard times together.»
«Hard times.»
«Yes, very hard times.»
«Was the author like this when you first met him?»
«If you mean like this…»
«Kim Dokja’s face.»
«That’s the face I remember.»
«So the author was Kim Dokja from the beginning?»
«Pardon?»
«The writer—»
Another shout for Kim Dokja echoed from outside.
Cha Yerin continued after a moment.
«When this story concludes, will he return to the world he came from?»
The world he came from.
Ji Eunyu thought before answering.
«As an editor, I don’t know the details, but one thing is certain. The world the writer returns to is ‘reality’.»
«…»
«And the author’s reality.»
Ji Eunyu, having finished preparing the dagger, stood and looked at Cha Yerin.
«It is a place where there are readers waiting for his story.»
[The relic ‘Ghost’ has been cleaned.]
«Yerin-ssi, I’ll entrust the writer to you for a moment. I need to go up top.»
«Be careful.»
«Keep driving.»
Ji Eunyu swiftly climbed out the window and onto the carriage roof. As if waiting, incarnations from the opposite carriage jumped onto their roof as well. The stories swirling around them marked them as part of the ‘snake force’.
«Give me Kim Dokja!»
«Our author, you’re quite popular here.»
On a command, the incarnations from the flanking carriages surged onto the roof.
Ji Eunyu immediately threw the dagger.
The incarnations smirked at the ordinary trajectory and speed of the flying blade.
[The relic ‘Ghost’ remembers your sincere care.]
[The first ‘Ghost’ of the relic ‘Ghost’ is activated.]
[The cutting power and acceleration of the relic ‘Ghost Blade’ increases tenfold for 10 minutes!]
Ghost was a treasure from <The First Murim>, a ‘hidden piece’ obtained from a meteorite with her sponsor’s aid.
Its drawback was requiring ‘ten cleaning sessions’ daily before use.
But once prepared, its monstrous power for ten minutes could surpass even the famed ‘Black Heavenly Demon Blade’.
«This is insane—»
The incarnations paled as the blade’s potency transformed.
Limbs were severed like soft tofu.
As two incarnations fell instantly, one from a rear carriage roof yelled.
«Kill her now!»
But the ghost was already moving away on its path.
Five incarnations rushed Ji Eunyu, who now seemed unarmed.
However.
«You’re just taking up space.»
«What?»
«Ah, you’re perfect for an edit.»
A sound whispered, and the legs of two more incarnations were cleanly removed, as if excising unnecessary sentences from a manuscript.
«Kaaaaaaak!»
The ghost, thought to be gone, returned to Ji Eunyu’s hand.
A translucent spider-web art glimmered along the dagger’s edge.
The remaining incarnation finally understood.
«No, that can’t be—»
[The exclusive skill ‘Arachne’s Web’ is in effect.]
The Holy Spirit of <Olympus>, [Arachne’s Web].
Normally, only a terminal incarnation of <Olympus> could use this, but she was an exception.
This was possible because <Olympus> had been destroyed in her sponsor’s world line.
[Some constellations are surprised to see your skills!]
Incarnations from the pursuing carriages buzzed with talk.
«Who is she? An incarnation of <Olympus>?»
«Impossible. Stigmata use should be restricted.»
«If we touch her by accident—»
«The bounty is huge. We can’t let this chance go.»
Listening, the situation became clear.
Someone with a grudge in the Chinese Zodiac had issued a bounty scenario on them.
Ji Eunyu smiled and continued the bluff.
«If you touch me, all of <Olympus> will come for you. Are you ready for that?»
At first, the many carriages seemed like a good distraction. If she could use this misunderstanding to avoid more fighting—
[Someone is activating ‘Lie Detection’.]
[Someone confirmed that the statement is not true.]
Ji Eunyu sighed lightly.
«Of course. This novel never makes anything easy.»
«Get her! Just deal with the one in the carriage!»
Ji Eunyu deflected incoming attacks with [Arachne’s Web].
But even her skill had limits against numerous assailants.
«Yerin-ssi! Go faster!»
Despite their efforts, the fundamental performance gap between the carriages kept them from pulling away.
Then, a section of the spider web snapped.
«Now!»
In that instant, a spherical object shot through the carriage window.
[The constellation ‘Snake Cutting Its Tail’ awaits your destruction.]
Ji Eunyu instantly identified the item.
‘Mass destruction magical bullet.’
The very item Han Sooyoung had used in the main story.
Ji Eunyu shouted, cursing inwardly.
«Yerin-ssi! Writer!»
But the explosion was faster. The carriage erupted with a thunderous boom, and Ji Eunyu was thrown back by the blast.
[The ‘Orient Express’ was destroyed.]
Her consciousness wavered at the despairing message.
As her body was flung high into the air and began to plummet, Ji Eunyu felt a sudden gust of wind from below.
Someone caught her in their arms.
The man’s face was haloed in a dazzling light, and Ji Eunyu’s breath caught. It resembled the face she had imagined for so long.
«Kim Dokja?»
The man answered.
«Naturally. That’s my name.»
Ji Eunyu replied.
«Liar.»
The man nodded.
«Lying is my profession. You can rest now.»
Relieved, Ji Eunyu closed her eyes.
I landed on the ground, carrying the unconscious Ji Eunyu.
I could roughly piece the situation together.
She used ‘that weapon’?
An item that only existed in the settings and was never used in the main story, yet she had somehow acquired it.
[The target is currently in a ‘vulnerable to fainting’ state.]
The system imposed status abnormalities corresponding to the strange events.
Her current penalty was ‘vulnerable to fainting’.
I looked at Ji Eunyu’s sleeping face. Though it was Min Jiwoon’s face, the visible exhaustion was entirely Ji Eunyu’s.
She looked like this after all-night editing sessions. She probably hadn’t slept properly since possessing this character.
Even with the penalty, she wasn’t one to faint so easily.
«Author.»
Cha Yerin landed gracefully with the wind. As expected, her [Way of the Wind] had protected her from the explosion.
«What happened to them?»
«We handled a few, but the rest fled.»
With our carriage destroyed, they must have assumed their mission was accomplished.
It made sense. In this scenario, losing your carriage was a death sentence.
«I’m sorry. I—»
«No, you did well.»
«Are the other party members safe?»
I paused briefly before answering.
«They’re safe.»
Would Cha Yerin believe I had come here after being with <Kim Dokja Company>?
Would she be hurt if the meaning of ‘party’ felt different to me now, after such a short time with them?
I shook my head slightly and made a promise.
«We will keep them safe.»
My group was here now. These were the people I had to protect.
«What do we do? We’ve lost the carriage—»
«It’s fine. This was part of the plan from the start.»
In the main story, Kim Dokja also said, ‘I fell from a carriage on the way to the constellation banquet.’ This was expected.
[You have lost the ‘Orient Express’.]
[A new event has occurred!]
For the record, when Kim Dokja fell, he was pursued by nebula gods.
[You are no longer protected by the ‘Orient Express Wagon’.]
[The gods near the cloud road notice your presence!]
It seemed a similar event was unfolding here.
[‘Edge of the Other World’ opens.]
The name alone sounded ominously unfamiliar.
In the main story, Kim Dokja had ‘Dionysus’ for protection. But there was no Dionysus here.
«We need to run.»
We activated [Way of the Wind] to its maximum, fleeing without a backward glance.
[Warning. Your ranking is ‘bottom’.]
[You are a representative of ‘Zone 13’.]
[If you do not arrive at your destination in time, your entire group will die.]
At full power, [Way of the Wind] could outpace a carriage.
The problem was the immense distance.
Our magic power would deplete long before we reached the destination.
And once our magic was gone, gods lurking in the corners of this other world would come to finish us.
There was only one option.
«That’s them, right?»
Using [Way of the Wind], I landed on the roof of a carriage speeding ahead.
[Story fragment ‘Facial Recognition’ recognizes you.]
[You are not the correct passenger for that carriage…]
I ripped the entire roof off, story fragments and all. The snake force incarnations inside stared up in shock.
«You—»
[The constellation ‘Demon King of Salvation’ reveals his status.]
«Ugh, uhhh—»
They collapsed under the weight of the status I projected.
I tossed them out one by one, then helped Cha Yerin inside.
[You have captured the ‘Orient Express Wagon’.]
[Story fragment ‘Facial Recognition’ interrupts its storytelling.]
[‘Orient Express Carriage’ recognizes you as a new passenger.]
[‘Controller’ will be provided.]
I took the controller. Even without a roof, this was a model with story options; its speed should be considerable.
The issue was control.
«I’ll drive. I heard you’re not good at games.»
Cha Yerin offered her hand.
«Did Ji Eunyu say that? It’s not that I can’t—»
To be honest, I’m average.
But I needed to drive this time.
«This time, I’ll do it. I am the ‘Demon King of Salvation’ now.»
«Kim Dokja isn’t good at games either.»
Right. Kim Dokja is probably worse than me.
«But I’m good at imitating those who are.»
[The exclusive skill ‘Bookmark’ is activated!]
[‘Bookmark List’ is activated.]
[Currently, due to a temporary error, the ‘Bookmark List’ cannot be activated.]
Was it because the ‘Demon King of Salvation’ story wasn’t fully inherited? Unfortunately, the original ‘characters’ he knew weren’t on the list.
However, that didn’t mean there was no one to register.
<List of people currently available for bookmarking>
1. Kim Cheolyang, the leader of the Life Cult (Comprehension 25)
2. Action leader Bang Cheolsoo (Comprehension level 30)
3. Immortal King Lee Dansu (Comprehension 55)
4. Kang Ilhoon who wants to be Yoo Jonghyuk (Comprehension level 65)
…
Every ‘person’ I had ever met was in that bookmark.
I scrolled through the list again and again, reviewing my own brief history.
7. Judge of Destruction Jung Heewon (Comprehension 50)
8. Strategist Ye Hyunwoo (Comprehension 20)
9. Assassin Gu Seonah (Comprehension 10)
10. Bald King Gong Pildu (Comprehension 15)
11. Master Jung Moonho (Comprehension level 35)
12. Magician Martinez (Comprehension 5)
13. Hypnotist Christina (Comprehension 20)
But no matter how far I scrolled, the name I wanted wasn’t there.
14. Lord of Salvation Nirvana (Comprehension 3)
15. Prophetess Anna Croft (Comprehension 15)
«Author.»
Cha Yerin looked at me.
I kept searching the list.
It had to be there.
「 Did I truly not understand ‘Yoo Jonghyuk of the 41st round’ at all? 」
Perhaps. This ‘bookmark’ only showed characters I had some comprehension of.
I boasted I would write his story, but the truth was, I didn’t really know who he was.
[This is the last page.]
I reached the final page of the character list.
As expected, Yoo Jonghyuk of the 41st round was not registered.
Instead,
25. Unemployed Yoo Jonghyuk (Comprehension level 1)
A strange entry for Yoo Jonghyuk was there.
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mikiii
orv is so good omg and aso unemployed? hello???? lmao