[Incarnation, 'Yoo Joonghyuk', has inherited the Stigma, 'Cloud System'.] [Two beings' imaginary cloud network have been connected!] "I've never imagined that I'd live long enough to see the day like this one. I wish I could tell that idiot Kim Dokja about this somehow," muttered Han Sooyoung. "Once I make my way back, I'll kill you first and cancel this ridiculous contract." "Try it if you can." After their exchange came to an end there, they stared at each other for a little while. "Don't forget. You must not destroy the other world-line. You just have to spread this story there. So that Kim Dokja of that world will get to read it," said Han Sooyoung. "I know." "Don't die." "I'll be back soon." He might never come back. Both of them knew that, but no one deliberately tried to bring that point up. With the exception of one person, that was. "Oppa." The tearful Yoo Mia held onto Yoo Joonghyuk's spacesuit. "You're lying! You aren't going to come back! You can't, even if you wanted to!" "I won't abandon you and die."
As Yoo Mia continued to shed her tears, Han Sooyoung tightly held her shoulders. Yoo Joonghyuk slowly lowered himself and matched his little sister's eye line, then spoke in a gentle, loving tone of voice. "I give you my word. I will definitely return." As he turned around to leave, he sent Han Sooyoung a message. – Look after Mia for me. He didn't look behind once and climbed aboard the [Final Ark]. And when Anna Croft gave her signal, the vessel's ignition was turned on. The companions belatedly hearing about the news soon arrived and watched everything unfold. The ark slowly rose up to the sky. The voices of the companions wouldn't have been able to enter the vessel's tightly-enclosed cockpit. Lee Jihye breathlessly running over here looked up at the departing ark. "Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Han Sooyoung asked her. "If I do, I feel like it's going to be the last time I see him." Despite saying that, Lee Jihye's eyes were brimming full of tears. Other companions also looked up at the ark without saying anything. Yoo Sangah broke the silence first. "Everything we wanted to say are in the novel, anyway. I'm sure Joonghyuk-ssi will read it later on."
"What's the point of him reading it? Hyung reading it, that's all that matters." Lee Gilyoung, Shin Yoosung, Jung Heewon, Lee Hyunsung, Jang Hayoung, Yoo Sangah, Lee Seolhwa, Lee Sookyung, Gong Pildu. And then, the Constellations, too. Everyone stood there and watched the ark leave. Shin Yoosung asked. "Will Dokja ahjussi really read our story?" That was uncertain. No one in existence would know that. This mission had high odds of failure, and the odds of Yoo Joonghyuk coming back home empty-handed were also very high. And their story could disappear as mere cosmic dust in some distant universe. The departing Yoo Joonghyuk should know about that, as well. Even then, he chose to leave. He left, for his own sake. Maybe, also for other companions, too. "If it's Kim Dokja, he'll read it," replied Han Sooyoung. At the very least, the people of this world would be able to carry on with their lives while waiting for his news – waiting for Yoo Joonghyuk's return. "He made a promise with me." The ark's flames lit up as it reached towards the distant galaxy. The companions endlessly looked on at the ark getting further away as if it was an expedition ship sailing towards another world. A story written through their lives was disappearing to a place forever out of their reach.
[The 'Ark' is entering the atmosphere.] [Waiting for the user Yoo Joonghyuk's destination input.] Yoo Joonghyuk inputted the coordinates of the world-line Yoo Sangah told him. Even the coordinates of the next nearest world-line to it was incredibly far away. Just as she said, that place might not have <Star Stream> there. [The dimensional acceleration will commence.] [Portion of necessary energy will be substituted by the Coins.] Coins amassed in the other world-line were injected as the energy source of the vessel. They had lost their value with the weakening of the system, but still, they used to be the strongest Story in the world once upon a time. Before long, the planet Earth could no longer be seen. [Entering the Dark Stratum to escape from the world-line.] Yoo Joonghyuk recalled what Yoo Sangah said. – The world-line Dokja-ssi has reincarnated into is located very far away. Meaning, I don't know how long it will take to get there if you leave the world-line through the conventional means. The world Kim Dokja had reincarnated into existed outside the 'Ways of Survival' – a place that had completely escaped from this world-line's influence. – More than likely, you'll have to go through the 'doorway' that allows you to leave this world-line.
How long passed by like this? Things resembling bubbles began appearing far ahead of him. These bubbles of various hues expanded and contracted repeatedly within the ominous currents. He even sensed this faint feeling of foreboding, too. Yoo Joonghyuk knew what caused this feeling. Tsu-chuchuchu… The 'vice-king' of the 'Outer Gods', as well as the master of the dimensional doorway between the world-lines. And the existence that opened the path to the 1863rd turn for Kim Dokja once upon a time. Yoo Joonghyuk unknowingly swallowed back his own saliva. This thing before him possessed more than enough power to make him nervous, the man who managed to clear the scenarios. 【Y o u a r e… n o t t h e P l o t t e r.】 A massive eye could be seen within the sea of foams. Yoo Joonghyuk increased the speed of the ark, not even trying to dodge that eye. In order to get to the world-line at the furthest edge of the universe, he simply had to go through this path. 【T h a t i s outside t h e story】 "Doesn't matter. Step away, or I'll cut you down." Yoo Joonghyuk aroused every bit of his Stories and pushed the ark forward. The vice-king didn't try to stop him. However, it only spoke in a pitying, empty-sounding tone of voice. 【Oh, t h e o n e dreaming o f t h e dream's outside, y o u r dream c a n n o t b e f u l f i l l e d.】
The moment he collided with the doorway, the view before his eyes completely distorted. He gritted his teeth and fought back against the storm pouncing on him. A violent storm of sparks began ravaging and devouring his entire body. He endured the urge to scream as horrifying pain akin to his whole body breaking apart took him over. – There's one last thing I wanted to ask you about. Han Sooyoung's voice trickled past inside his disoriented head. – Why are you going so far to save Kim Dokja? You've lost many companions by now already. – Having lost many companions before doesn't mean you become accustomed to the pain of loss. And also… Explosions began going off inside the ark. Debris from the broken instruments began floating away in the universe. – …I have something I need to ask that fool. Yet another explosion resounded out, and an object pierced into Yoo Joonghyuk's torso. [Failed to read the world-line's coordinates!] [Warning! An error has occurred in the coordinate recognition device!] [An error has occurred in the interior temperature modulation device!] … …
[An error has occurred in the ship's navigation system!] Sparks exploding abruptly dominated Yoo Joonghyuk's entire body. His vision was dyed in pure white, and his consciousness faded away. By the time he managed to open his eyes, he was already lost in space.
Chapter 548: Epilogue 5 - The Eternity and Epilogue, III ⸢4th day of drifting.⸥ Yoo Joonghyuk barely managed to regain his consciousness and discovered a sharp piece of debris stabbing him in his abdomen. He calmly got rid of the debris and checked the status of the vessel's hull. ⸢6th day of drifting.⸥ He realized that the ark had completely lost all its functions. The navigation system was unresponsive, and he couldn't see a single thing nearby. As a matter of fact, he couldn't even see a single planet nearby. ⸢11th day of drifting.⸥ With several of the safety systems installed within the ark destroyed, abnormality began manifesting in Yoo
Joonghyuk's body. [System's homeostasis is currently broken!] [Power of chaos is eroding your entire body.] [Your Story is crumbling away little by little.] Some kind of a problem must've occurred somewhere, because all the abilities realized through the system had become completely paralysed. Yoo Joonghyuk remained calm as he inspected the Stories currently with him. Thankfully, his Stories were all safe. [Story, 'Hell of Eternity', is enveloping you.] The flames of hell protected him from the bitter coldness. ⸢21st day of drifting.⸥ The spacesuit Anna Croft made him wear really did come in handy. If it weren't for the built-in protective functionality of the suit, the rate of his body crumbling away would've been so much faster. Yoo Joonghyuk did whatever he could to repair the ark's power source. Although the job performed wasn't of professional quality, the vessel still started moving again. Unfortunately, the collision caused the fuel tank reserved for a rainy day to blow up, and the ark needed his Story energy to operate. He failed to repair the self-navigation system and the autopilot, though. Meaning, he had to pilot the craft personally. ⸢34th day of drifting.⸥ He needed to somehow find his original route.
⸢42nd day of drifting.⸥ As the days of his Story needing to be exhausted increased, fatigue began accumulating in his body. Instances of him briefly losing his consciousness happened more and more frequently. The darkness was eating away at his mind. …Why did I come this far? There were moments when his purpose would become blurry, uncertain. He came this far to carry out his mission. To deliver a 'story' to the reincarnated Kim Dokja. To revive the 'Kim Dokja' his companions remembered. Why, though? He still had something he simply had to ask Kim Dokja, that's why. …But what was the question? ⸢58th day of drifting.⸥ The moment he saw a wane face reflected on the ark's window, Yoo Joonghyuk recalled the forgotten question. – In a world where the scenarios have come to an end, what should he do to continue living on? That's right. That's what he wanted to ask Kim Dokja. Because that guy knew everything. Kim Dokja, always thinking about the end. The man who planned for everything, and didn't hesitate to sacrifice his own life to see the conclusion of a certain story. A fool like that should know, he thought. If it was Kim Dokja, then he should know more about Yoo Joonghyuk than Yoo Joonghyuk knew about himself. That's
what the latter thought. The regressor who stopped regressing – just what would become of him? Lee Jihye said that she suffered from nightmares every night. But for him, his life had been a constant nightmare for the longest time. The only reason why he managed to endure until now was because he still had a goal, an aim, which he hadn't achieved yet. However, that goal was now no more, and the scenario had ended, as well. The regressor Yoo Joonghyuk was free. But as he stood before the hard-earned freedom, he couldn't figure out what exactly he had finally earned. ⸢83rd day of drifting.⸥ As his directionless drifting went on and on, the Stories covering his skin decreased precipitously. The amount of Story scattering into space gradually increased. His voyage continued on, but he didn't even know where he was heading to. ⸢102rd day of drifting.⸥ Yoo Joonghyuk began reading Han Sooyoung's novel. He thought that by reading it, he'd be able to endure against time, somehow. ⸢111th day of drifting.⸥ While reading about Kim Dokja's story, he began to harbour this faint hint of anticipation.
He thought that the Kim Dokja from this story should be able to answer his question. From the first episode onwards, he studiously read about Kim Dokja's life. Some events he already knew, while some others were unfamiliar to him. He'd stop reading when he reached certain sentences, too. ⸢That feeling of being left alone past the full stop of the story, right after the protagonist and the side characters all stepped into the sentence of 'Everyone lived happily ever after'. Struck by the sense of emptiness and betrayal, the young me couldn't fight against the loneliness and writhed around in pain.⸥ What was 'happiness'? That term felt so very alien to Yoo Joonghyuk. He thought he might have felt such an emotion from somewhere within the memories of the 0th turn that he managed to steal a glance earlier. However, that was no longer his life. ⸢128th day of drifting.⸥ To him, the figure of Kim Dokja relying on nothing else besides the 'Ways of Survival' to survive came across as alien. He read many times, yet he just couldn't understand it very well. How could a mere story like this be able to support a life? ⸢154th day of drifting.⸥ Little by little, Yoo Joonghyuk grew accustomed to reading the novel.
He even found some passages that he liked reading over and over again. ⸢I grabbed the hind leg rich in the perfect amount of fat and bit into the flesh. The gravy gently oozing out from the meat… I closed my eyes, having even forgotten to chew. As I thought, reading about it and actually tasting it are two different things.⸥ It was a scene that happened early on, when Kim Dokja and the companions had recently entered the scenarios – when they roasted the meat from the mole rats. Yoo Joonghyuk pulled out a slice of dried meat from inside his coat underneath the spacesuit and began chewing on it while reading that passage again. He slowly closed his eyes and chewed, and it almost felt as if he was with the companions within the damp darkness of the subway. ⸢155th day of drifting.⸥ But when he opened his eyes, he was still all alone. Yoo Joonghyuk dazedly sitting there began reading the novel again. ⸢211th day of drifting.⸥ He continued to read this story all by himself, and… ⸢258th day of drifting.⸥ …And, read the story again. ⸢279th day of drifting.⸥ He finally understood Kim Dokja just a little. ⸢316th day of drifting.⸥
[Your Stories have absorbed your emotions.] Every time he read Han Sooyoung's novel, the consumed Stories would regain their vitality for fleeting moments. Although it couldn't match the speed of consumption, he wouldn't have been able to hold on until now if he didn't read the story. However, he couldn't simply hold on forever. Kim Dokja within the novel was saying this. ⸢"That's why you should've read it until the end, you know."⸥ What did it mean to read a story to its end? Although he couldn't fully understand it, Yoo Joonghyuk still chose to heed that advice. ⸢333th day of drifting.⸥ Abruptly, he realized the reason why his failure was inevitable. ⸢"Even if you manage to save the world, you still won't be saved. The moment you save the world, the worlds you have cast away would pounce on you. Even if you do save one world, every other world you have forsaken will drag you down to hell."⸥ Yoo Joonghyuk stared at the distant universe and thought to himself. What could've it been like if this was the first, or the second, regression turn? What if he had completely forgotten about the memories from his previous lives? If he had no clue whatsoever of the lives from his previous regressions, then maybe, just maybe, couldn't he have found his answer
already, instead of wandering aimlessly like this? Maybe, he wouldn't have to suffer like this? Could he have finally understood what the 'happy ending' of other stories was like? Could he have moved forward, in order to not die? Ku-gugugugu… The ark's hull began vibrating. Wondering what was going on, he enhanced his perception to sweep over the surroundings, only to discover a huge horde dyeing the universe ash-grey. They were existences he was quite familiar with. 【OhOhOhOhOhOhOh…!】 Existences that were discarded from the world-lines, and ejected from the scenarios. The enormous waves of 'Outer Gods' were flooding in his direction. A faint scent of fear could be picked up coming from them. They were being chased by some things. Kwa-du-duk! One of the 'Nameless Ones' escaping at the rear of the pack was pierced by something. Soon, he spotted the 'Hounds Chasing After the Abyss' easily numbering thousands chasing down the 'Outer Gods' like wolves corralling the flock of sheep. Every time a 'Nameless One' was hunted down, an incredible explosion of sparks occurred in between the flood. The storm of energy was gradually growing larger and larger. At this rate, his vessel would get swept up much sooner than later.
【SavemeSavemeSavemeSaveme】 Eventually, the front pack of the flood overtook the ark. The 'Nameless Ones' desperately ran. The eyes of the creatures resembling cephalopods glanced in Yoo Joonghyuk's direction. Craaack! A monster's body was pierced through without resistance by the hound's fangs. The pitch-black lump of Story spewing out by the dying monster splattered onto the cockpit's window like paint. The cephalopod monster was staring at him in resentment as it fell. Yoo Joonghyuk had seen those eyes before, once upon a time. ⸢"If so, what about the people who are different from me? What about Jihye eonni, Hyunsung oppa, and Seolhwa eonni? Those who fought only for your sake, just who were they to you??"⸥ Right at that moment, Yoo Joonghyuk thought he could finally understand what his ■■ was. He understood how a regressor finished with his regressions should carry on living. He understood the true conclusion he was supposed to reach. From the very beginning, such a thing could never be determined by his own will alone. [The Ark's cockpit is opening.]
The moment he opened the cockpit, the hounds began rushing in his direction. Yoo Joonghyuk gripped the [Black Heavenly Demon Sword] in reverse and cut the head off of a hound. The waves from the other world splitting apart, brushed past while clawing at him. 【WhatWhatWhatWhatWhat】 【YouareYouareYouareYouareYouare】 He watched the 'Nameless Ones' flood past him and recalled the story he had been reading not too long ago. Maybe, Han Sooyoung knew about it already. ⸢"You wrote my story. In that case, you should also know where my story is supposed to end."⸥ She probably knew the truth that this story would never reach the reincarnated Kim Dokjas. That was why, he must never return to Earth. He must never let his companions know of his survival. His absence must become their eternal hope. And maybe that was the fitting final verse to the regressor who had destroyed countless worlds. 【Grrrrrr…!】 As he continued to smack away the pouncing hounds, Yoo Joonghyuk thought about the disappearing story. "Be gone!!"
His lion-like roar using magical energy as the foundation caused the hounds hiding in between the 'Outer Gods' to raise their heads. These hounds then formed lines and attacked Yoo Joonghyuk simultaneously. His arms were punctured, and the protective equipment worn over his legs were torn off from him. Stories began leaking out from the ripped-open gaps of the tattered spacesuit. Bit by bit, he was losing his strength. His lengthy regression journey. Yoo Joonghyuk instinctively realized that this was his conclusion. 'This is the end I wished to see'. It could've been a slightly more excellent conclusion. If he had made a different choice back then, or maybe, if he chose to go down the better direction, then… Yoo Joonghyuk smiled bitterly. In the end, he remained a regressor even until his final moment. He knew it. He knew there was no better conclusion than this. He knew that, regardless of what choices he might have made in different moments of his life, he'd still end up regretting something about them. Even then, he'd regret and eventually, repeat the result of all his regretting. 【YouYouYouYouYouYou】 【WhoWhoWhoWhoWho】
That was the summary of his life. "I'm Yoo Joonghyuk." At least a handful of people would be saved by his life. Kwa-aaaaaah-! Thousands upon thousands of hounds pounced in his direction. As if he was atoning for his sins, Yoo Joonghyuk wielded his sword and wielded it some more. With each and every one of his attacks, those 'Nameless Ones' with forgotten names received their salvation. Coldness began circulating in his entire body. The amount of Story leaking out from the tattered spacesuit continued to increase. He felt dizzy and his vision flickered. Yoo Joonghyuk squeezed out every last drop of magical energy. Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship. Destruction Technique. Breaking the Sky Meteor Strike. The vicious, violent fragments of the sword fell like a meteor shower and penetrated the hounds. However, some hounds managed to evade the sword strike and continued to run towards him. 【Krrrrrng!!】 Right next second, something collided with his head and the helmet protecting his face broke into pieces. [Warning! Your Story is scattering away. Return to the ark immediately!]
[Your Story is…] Adrift droplets of blood were freezing up. Hounds were tearing into his entire body. And the story Han Sooyoung had written were breaking apart among the torn, ripped Story fragments scattering away. '…Mia-yah'. Stories kept scattering away like stardust. Yoo Joonghyuk watched that spectacle and quietly thought about the lonely space no one would ever imagine. The 'Nameless Ones' were witnessing his final moments with their empty eyes. This story they had compiled would be forgotten sooner or later. It'd become a story no one would read. Yoo Joonghyuk summoned the last vestiges of his strength and gripped the hilt of the sword tightly. He stabbed the neck of the hound biting his thigh, and cut apart its body. A regressor might only know how to regret, but he'd never give up. ⸢"Maybe this regression turn you are about to abandon could be the 'one single turn' where you might get to witness the end of this world as a 'human being', you know."⸥ The one and only way for him to live on as a human being. And that was to never give up on this story. Kwa-duduk! Something bit his neck, and his vision was dyed crimson in colour.
His eyes slowly closed. This really was his final moments. Tsu-chuchu… However, he saw the darkness before his eyes distort as his vision gradually blurred. Was he hallucinating? Something was standing over there. The ends of the black coat were seemingly dancing within the pure-white Story fragments. 【What a pitiful sight this is, the third turn.】 Someone was talking to him from there. 【This will be my last time helping you.】
Chapter 549: Epilogue 5 - The Eternity and Epilogue, IV Yoo Joonghyuk dreamed a particular dream. It was about the time he participated in the 'Journey to the West scenario' with the rest of the <Kim Dokja's Company> members. In the dream, he was running on top of the Tongtian River's surface. He could see the figures of Jung Heewon, Yoo Sangah, Lee Hyunsung and Shin Yoosung running next to him. 【Notnotnotnotnotnotnot】 Yogoes were screaming out their death throes repeatedly. His memories grew clearer and clearer. Right, they were participating in the Journey to the West in order to rescue Kim Dokja. But then… where was Kim Dokja?
Tsu-chuchuchu… 【…What a pathetic sight this is. With only this much, you actually dared to come out to the 'outside of the story'?】 A voice could be heard coming from somewhere. 【I was wondering why dangerous Story ripples could be detected in the vicinity, but… He was the cause, then.】 【What are we going to do, captain?】 【We decided not to interfere anymore, right? Are you really going to help him?】 Voices that were familiar, yet also quite foreign to him. Was this a part of his memories? Who could have said those words? Suddenly, the front of his eyes seemed to get darker, only to reveal a pitch-black shadow standing there and blocking the light. An Outer God stood in the middle of the dim shadows. Even without consciously realizing it, Yoo Joonghyuk began emitting fighting intent. Right. He did fight against this bastard back then, too. The other him who had witnessed the world's end after living through 1863 regressions – the 'Secretive Plotter'. Even before Yoo Joonghyuk could use a skill, though – the 'Secretive Plotter' spoke up first. 【Did you really think the end of a regressor will be that easy?】
The Tongtian River was upturned. Yogoes rising up from every corner of the river's surface pounced on Yoo Joonghyuk. The discarded stories clung onto his body all at the same time. The forgotten Stories were being sucked into his mouth and nose. He gradually sank beneath the water as the head-wrecking pain swallowed him up. 【Do not forget. We aren't even permitted the luxury of death.】 With that true voice as the signal, his view was flipped around. Yoo Joonghyuk woke up heavily panting as if he was vomiting out the river's water. Yogoes that clung onto him in the dream were nowhere to be seen now, having disappeared to somewhere unknown. However, someone else's presence could be felt, instead. [Whew. You really shocked me there, making me think you were dead and all.] A clear, gentle voice greeted him. Yoo Joonghyuk shook his still-dizzy head. A blurry figure was before his eyes. A warm, caring aura emitted from this silhouette gently wrapped around his entire body. …Was he still dreaming? His vision recovered gradually, and the face of the blurry figure could finally be seen. Yoo Joonghyuk hurriedly rubbed his eyes without even realizing it. Was he hallucinating, instead? This young girl's external appearance resembled Kim Dokja's, somehow. Her eyes sparkling like stars were quietly observing him. [I didn't expect to see you here, captain. You probably can understand now how I felt while wandering around the worldlines. Right?]
This child, she… [You don't have to worry. I've already repaired most of your scattered Story. And just in case, I've even started a sub scenario so you should be fine for the time being.] Could she be… [That's so disappointing. Do I have to speak like this for you to recognise me?] As the girl smiled mischievously, a small horn suddenly grew out of her head. Her lips parted a little, and a familiar cry he'd been missing for so long jumped out. [Baat.] "Has master got in touch yet?" "Nope. I'm sure he's taking good care of things," replied Han Sooyoung. It had already been three months since Yoo Joonghyuk left on his voyage. The work on the manuscript continued on without a hitch, and the updates were continuously being sent through the Cloud System. [Number of file downloads: 0] However, Yoo Joonghyuk had not logged in once to the Cloud System using the Stigma during the past three months. 'Yoo Joonghyuk, that idiot. Just what is he doing?'
The ominous foreboding slowly mushroomed in Han Sooyoung's heart. She even began thinking that maybe she should've been the one to head out. Yoo Mia was next to her, sweating profusely while performing a series of press-ups. "I'll become strong enough to break both of my oppa's legs." Han Sooyoung looked at Yoo Mia and the girl's blazing eyes, and could only nod her head as a sign of encouragement. And how long did she tap on the keyboard afterwards? Suddenly, a message entered her head. [Your Incarnation has logged into the 'Cloud System'.] After Biyoo heard about the general gist of the situation, she responded in the following manner. […Okay, so. You'll spread the story you receive via Han Sooyoung's Stigma to other world-lines. That's the core of the plan, right?] "Correct." [And you're hoping that the reincarnated versions of Dokja ahjussi will read that story.] "Also correct." [Not bad. To think that you'd come up with a plan to take advantage of the 'Oldest Dream's nature like this…]
"I also thought it's not a bad-sounding p…" […Did you really think I'd be impressed by that plan? How did you even cook up such a hair-brained scheme, seriously?!] …Was Biyoo's personality originally like this? [But then again, captain, you're completely capable of doing something this crazy without batting an eyelid.] Yoo Joonghyuk frowned deeply at that somewhat mocking tone of voice. The more he heard her talk, the more she began sounding like Kim Dokja for some reason. [The odds of success are not very good, you know.] "I know." [The 'Oldest Dream' of that world-line might not even read the story. And the more advanced a civilisation is, the less important the contents made up purely of letters becomes. So you may not even get a chance to approach such a world, too.] "Before that, crossing the world-lines is the biggest problem." Yoo Joonghyuk stared at the half-destroyed ark. Although he got lucky with Biyoo's help and managed to survive, it was impossible to visit other world-lines without the vessel. Biyoo thought about something for a while then spoke what's in her mind. [Why can't you go? What are the coordinates? Give to me.] With a slightly unconvinced face, Yoo Joonghyuk handed over the list of coordinates Yoo Sangah gave him earlier. Biyoo
confirmed all the world-lines on it and smiled refreshingly. [You do know who I am, right? I'm none other than the 'Dokkaebi King', you know.] It was right then, Yoo Joonghyuk recalled an obvious fact. The [Final Ark] was an item belonging to the Bureau. And the top representative of the Bureau was precisely the 'Dokkaebi King'. [Can you guess what I had been doing in the 'Dark Stratum'? While you and other companions went to the 1865th turn, I too had been working my butt off somewhere, that's what.] The deep, boundless wisdom could be sensed behind Biyoo's eyes drawing a smiling arc. The Dark Stratum. A place where the time's density was far greater than any other spacetime. Just how long had Biyoo been staying in such a space? She pulled out a Wenny pouch from her inner pocket and continued on. [I've got my hands on the dead Wenny King's dimensional doorway so jumping to the nearest world-line isn't going to be a problem at all. As for those in the far-flung distance… Well, it should be doable after repairing the ark a bit, I think. The problem is with the energy to be used as the fuel…] Yoo Joonghyuk looked down at his own Incarnation body. Thanks to Biyoo saving his life, most of his injuries had been healed, but the majority of his Stories were left badly mangled after they protected him for over 300 days of adrift at space, as well as during the battle against the hounds.
[I guess that's also been sorted out now, too.] "…Mm?" He wasn't sure how it happened, but his inside was overflowing with Stories. A truly extraordinary amount of Stories were writhing around within him, getting ready to be unleashed. [Just where did you acquire the Stories of the 'Nameless Ones'? Not only that, such a humongous amount, too…] Stories that had been discarded by the scenario was now trying to speak to him. [Stories with unknown names from 'Outer Gods' wish to accompany you.] Stories from the 'Nameless Ones' he had run across in the final scenario once upon a time. Existences born in a place no stars paid attention to, and who had to die in a place no one was looking at. They were currently talking to Yoo Joonghyuk. [Stories with unknown names are picking up the scent of an ancient dream from you.] [Now that I think about it, something felt a bit off when I was picking you up. The 'Nameless Ones' that didn't possess any ego were busy protecting you, you know?] Yoo Joonghyuk recalled the dream he had not too long ago – the Journey to the West scenario, the voices of the 'Secretive Plotter' as well as the 999th turn's individuals. …But, it couldn't be.
He hurriedly enhanced his perception, but couldn't detect anything. While listening to Biyoo's voice, Yoo Joonghyuk quietly observed the view of the space spreading out like an endless ocean. [By using those Stories as our fuel, we shouldn't have any problems travelling long distances. Okay, let's get a move on, then. The hounds' territory is nearby, so if we take our time lounging around here, things might get dicey again.] Since Yoo Joonghyuk had no thoughts of encountering those hounds again, he quickly nodded his head as well. [It's a bit cramped inside for two people, so… Baat!] Pure-white and abundant fur sprouted from Biyoo's body, then she suddenly shrunk down to the size of a single fist. [Dokkaebi King 'Biyoo' has started the ark's voyage!] Along with that message, the ark's main engine came to life. The vessel left behind the blue-hued Story traces and disappeared from there in the blink of an eye. … … … A short while later, five shadows appeared near where the ark used to be. 【Do you think he'll succeed?】 【That's uncertain. However, this is as far as we can help him.】
【Let's hurry up and return, shall we? Today's the parent's day at school, after all. By the way, who agreed to go with Dokja?】 【Me, me, me, me!!】 【You idiot obviously aren't qualified.】 The 'Secretive Plotter' watched the ark disappearing beyond the distant galaxy and murmured out. 【I pray that we don't have to run into each other again, Yoo Joonghyuk.】 Jang Hayoung working on the revision of the second act yawned grandly in boredom and asked a question. "By the way, Han Sooyoung? Can I ask you something?" "No." "What did you tell Yoo Joonghyuk regarding the method of delivering the manuscript?" Jang Hayoung spoke in a tone of voice indicating her distrust of the man in question. "I took a look, and well, besides him knowing how to play games, he didn't seem to know his way around a computer, you know? Would he even know how to upload novels to a website?" "He can't personally serialise the novel. That would mean he'd be stuck in a world-line for too long." "What then?"
Han Sooyoung thought about it for a second, then muttered out. "The most ideal way would be to find someone who can serialise it for us…" ⸢The planetary system Z865123. In the year 2020 of the imperial calendar…⸥ On that day, a webnovel writer named Lee Hak-Hyeon was busy writing up his manuscript inside a one-room flat for students, only to get into a verbal tussle with his editor over the phone. – Author-nim, just what are you planning to write this time? What's the title of the novel? "…It's the Me-sword Master." – The Me-sword Master? What is it about? "Okay, so… The protagonist is a method actor in a fantasy world, and he eventually masters his acting skills and also becomes a swordmaster…" – Ah, I see. That's enough. By the way, didn't I tell you many times before to never start with the line 'imperial calendar' this and that? Lee Hak-Hyeon listened to the editor's voice continuing on for a long while afterwards, and his expression became gloomier and gloomier. – Have you forgotten what happened with your previous novel? Author-nim, please think about this carefully. I beg of you…
Lee Hak-Hyeon recalled his previous outputs. His debut work, ⸢⸢Orc Philosopher⸥⸥, completely tanked with a pathetically embarrassing score – this novel's paywalled chapters were bought only by his best friend and no one else besides – and the follow-up he wrote with much fanfare, ⸢⸢How to Become a Famous Author⸥⸥ also tanked pretty hard because well, he was not a famous author, to begin with. And just like that, this was his third try. "Those who will succeed, will succeed. While those who won't, won't. I'm the latter, I guess." He was three months behind on his rent, and with what little money he had on him, it'd be difficult to even buy tonight's dinner. Lee Hak-Hyeon stared at the empty Korean word processor page, before rushing up to the rooftop of the building. The ground as seen from the fifth floor looked pretty far enough. "…Nah. Even then, this is… Hah-ah… Huh?" Lee Hak-Hyeon rubbed his eyes. Was he hallucinating? Something was wavering before his eyes. "What's going on? My tears?" A man was standing there. Not just any man, but an incredibly handsome dude wearing a black coat, no less. And a figurine with fluffy fur was sitting on this man's shoulder. Even a blind could see that this guy was someone extraordinary. He'd be pretty much perfect as a protagonist from a novel, in a way… "You over there. You seem to be a webnovel author."
The black coat-wearing man's powerful aura caused Lee HakHyeon's legs to tremble even unbeknownst to himself. The latter managed to eke out a reply. "Y-yes, I am." "In that case, you should know how to serialise a novel, then." "Well, that…" It was at that moment that a realization dawned on Lee HakHyeon. He'd heard about this weird rumour from someone, somewhere – a legendary tale of those authors who mysteriously vanished from the world, only to triumphantly return with stunning epics in tow. The tale of incredible luck that only a select handful of writers are blessed with. Lee Hak-Hyeon realized what kind of a situation this was, and his shoulders began trembling. 'I-i-is this the chosen author cliché??' If all the webnovels he had read so far had some dose of reality in them, then that black coat-wearing man should take Lee Hak-Hyeon into the world of a novel. And then, he'd ask the latter to fix the conclusion written by another writer. The latter would utilise his brain honed by clichés to its fullest extent and go on to perform truly fantastical feats. "Yes, yes! I know how to do it! I shall change your world's future!" "…??" "Please, hurry and take me with you! I may look like this, but I'm a pro webnovel author with prior experience in paid serialisation…"
A dull thud rang out as something hit the back of Lee HakHyeon's head. He blacked out immediately. [Wait a minute, captain!! What are you doing, knocking the guy out!!] Biyoo cried out sharply. They were currently in the planetary system Z865123. They had to go through no less than 17 layers of [Dark Stratum] from Earth they had been living in to barely reach this worldline. "It couldn't be helped. He was too talkative." […Now what are we going to do?] Yoo Joonghyuk began pulling out several instruments from his inner pocket. "From now on, we need to forcibly insert the novel Han Sooyoung has written into this man's brain." [What are you talking about?! Do you even know how long that will take?! Are you going to brainwash people like this every time you enter a new world-line??] "That is…" When he thought about it, he realized that this method could only take them so far. They couldn't stick around and keep their eyes on this man forever, and the brainwashing could stop working after Yoo Joonghyuk had left this world-line. [You said that Han Sooyoung hadn't finished writing the novel yet, right? We don't have the time to visit this world
again later. At this rate, even if we hand over the novel, the serialisation might stop in the middle, you know!] "Han Sooyoung, that fool…" [Stop blaming someone else, and activate that thing called Cloud System or something. Hurry.] Since she sounded as if she had a plan here, Yoo Joonghyuk didn't argue and did as he was told. [Sync your display with mine.] Biyoo then began browsing and poking at the [Cloud System]'s files floating up before her eyes. Soon, her hands stopped moving before a specific file. [Dokkaebi King 'Biyoo' is trying to approach the Cloud System using the authority of the Bureau.] [Will you allow the access to the portion of the files?] Yoo Joonghyuk clicked on the confirmation icon. When he did, a transparent thread extended out from the file and got connected to the head of the unconscious webnovel writer. [Dokkaebi King 'Biyoo' has exercised her authority and altered the 'Cloud System'.] [The system's influence is minimal in this worldview. Additional Probability will be consumed!] [The set-up, 'Inspiration Sharing', has been created!] Biyoo wiped away the strands of sweat from her forehead and spoke. [I've synchronised the cloud's files with this guy's subconsciousness. From now on, the stories Han Sooyoung
writes in the future will be updated automatically to this guy's subconscious mind.] Now that was a truly stunning Story manipulation ability. Even Han Sooyoung needed quite a lot of time to create a single Stigma, so this… Yoo Joonghyuk asked her. "Is this method safe? What if this fool unnecessarily starts suspecting something…?" [Suspect? Not very likely. No, he's gonna love the change, actually. I mean, he's being showered by inspirations, so which writer wouldn't welcome that with open arms? He'll definitely believe that he's the one writing this story.] Biyoo smirked and looked down at the still-unconscious man. Yoo Joonghyuk alternated his gaze between such Biyoo and the unmoving webnovel writer as a strange little thought crept into his mind. Could it be that a 'novel', any novel, was written like this, to begin with? Biyoo lightly knocked on the head of the unconscious writer and spoke. [He will probably think that a muse came to bless him or something.] When Lee Hak-Hyeon opened his eyes again, he found himself slumped over his own desk. "…Was I dreaming? Urgh…" He slowly got up and wiped his mouth, then began massaging his temples.
That was one strangely vivid dream. A dream where he was being threatened by a man wearing a black coat. And then, there was a figuring floating in the air, seemingly made out of a lump of wool… It seemed rather likely that, him secluding himself in this small room for too long while attempting to write something, had finally pushed him over the edge. Lee Hak-Hyeon spat out a long, long groan and switched on the once-empty notebook screen. But on it was… ⸢There are three ways to survive in a ruined world.⸥ …A sentence he didn't remember typing was there. On top of this, his hands were actually moving on their own to continue typing away. ⸢My ancient smartphone displaying the webnovel platform struggled to move through the screen. I scrolled down, then up. How many times did I do that, I wondered. "Really? Is that really the end??"⸥ "…Oh?" Lee Hak-Hyeon looked at his hands typing away at a frightening turn of speed and began wondering if he had finally lost his mind. Hell, he thought that he could even hear some sort of a voice coming from within his mind, too. …You tanked badly the last time by making the author the protagonist. How about making the reader the protagonist this time around? ⸢Kim Dokja(金獨子). My father wanted me to become a tough man even if I was left alone so he gave me such a name.⸥
When he typed one sentence, another one would pop up in his head, and when he finished typing that one, yet another would appear in his mind. Inspirations surged in him like a powerful waterfall. By the time he regained his wits, he had already completed the prologue as well as the first chapter. ⸢This was the moment when my life's genre had changed.⸥ Lee Hak-Hyeon dazedly stared at the screen for a long time, before calling the editor on the phone. "Uhm, editor-nim? It looks like I might become successful, after all…"
Chapter 550: Epilogue 5 - The Eternity and Epilogue, V It had been one year and two months since Yoo Joonghyuk had left on his journey. The speed of the manuscript being updated started slowing down around the time the third part was nearing completion. Even though the manuscript was still being compiled diligently, there were just too many voids yet to be filled up. As the chapter number got higher and higher, stories Han Sooyoung didn't know of seemed to also increase in number, as well. "This might prove to be helpful, at least by a little bit," said Aileen. If she didn't extract Story fragments from the sleeping Kim Dokja, the work on the manuscript would've slowed down even further.
[Story fragment, 'Great adventure in the Dark Castle', has been successfully extracted.] [Story fragment, 'Memories of 1863rd regression turn', has been successfully extracted.] [Story fragment, 'Gourmet Association Story', has been successfully extracted.] These fragments were stories too small to become Stories. Han Sooyoung read these fragments and filled in the previously-lacking inside of Kim Dokja. Even then, far too many parts remained empty. She didn't try to forcibly fill those voids, however. [Your Incarnation has logged into the 'Cloud System'.] Yoo Sangah asked. "It looks like Joonghyuk-ssi is doing well." "Well, he's probably busy scaring the living daylights out of the poor webnovel authors," replied Ham Sooyoung. "I'm curious about what other authors are like. Surely, not everyone is like you, Sooyoung-ssi?" "Well, no, not everyone's like… Hey, did you come here just to grind my gears?" "The author in question may not even be a person when I think about it. It could be a highly-developed AI, or…" Han Sooyoung reluctantly nodded her head. Indeed, the universe was vast and lots of writers existed out there. And also, writers who got a beating from Yoo Joonghyuk should be plenty, too. In any case – judging from how timely the revised manuscript was being downloaded, that dude must've been
doing his job properly so far. But then… [Your Incarnation is revising the manuscript you have written.] "…What??" […Captain, what are you doing??] "I'm fixing the incorrect portion." Yoo Joonghyuk was in the midst of revising the updated file in real-time while logging into the [Cloud System]. Originally, it was impossible for an Incarnation like him to revise a file updated to the [Cloud System], but… [Your attribute's effects are activating.] [You can now revise the 'Cloud System's' manuscript.] [Revision of the already recorded contents requires a great amount of Probability!] But, it became possible to do so from some time ago. He couldn't quite remember just when it started, but it might have been when the attribute related to writing sleeping inside him began manifesting its powers. Maybe it had bloomed into life after acquiring the Stories of the 'Outer Gods'. […Won't Han Sooyoung get really angry?]
"Even if it's her, she wouldn't have known every story there is. Some parts especially were in a total mess." While saying that, Yoo Joonghyuk tapped away on the holographic keyboard. Biyoo seemed rather impressed by this scene and spoke up. [Oh… Captain, your grammar is better than I thought! Since you liked swinging swords around every single day, I figured you wouldn't even know the difference between a knight and a night but this…] It was right at that moment that Yoo Joonghyuk's cursor suddenly began jumping around all on its own. [Constellation, 'Architect of the False Last Act', has revised the latest file.] Strange words were suddenly typed over the space where Yoo Joonghyuk's cursor had been just now. ⸢Hey, you just messed with my manuscript, didn't you?! Do you really want to die that badly??⸥ …So, there was such a way to communicate with her, then. Yoo Joonghyuk calmly typed the following sentence. ⸢This is because you failed to store the manuscript properly.⸥ ⸢What bulldust are you spewing now??⸥ ⸢There were incorrect parts in the manuscript. I've left my opinions on the file, so confirm them yourself.⸥ After typing that, Yoo Joonghyuk took another look at the parts he had changed.
⸢Lee Gilyoung wearing the black coat looked down arrogantly at the world with his star-like sparkling eyes and spoke up. "Hey, you sooty bastard. You're so weak." – Do you really think this part even makes any sense?⸥ ⸢Lee Jihye emitting noble ripples of energy like rushing torrents of a massive river began swinging her sword. "Water the Sky Sword Door, True Body Deep Righteousness Slash Technique, Water the Sky Destroy the Emperor Slash!!" – There is no such sword technique in the Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship. Also, all the Hanja letters are incorrect.⸥ Han Sooyoung was silent for a moment there. ⸢…What the hell, I don't remember ever typing these sentences before? Wait, these haven't been published yet, right?⸥ ⸢There are still some time left until the update, so fix them quickly.⸥ Yoo Joonghyuk could pretty much figure out what happened here. ⸢Seriously, those two… With my notebook PC…⸥ Undoubtedly, Lee Gilyoung and Lee Jihye must've changed the scheduled update file without Han Sooyoung's knowledge. Biyoo observed the sentences hurriedly being revised before their very eyes and spoke up. [Looks like you two have become quite close.] "We're merely communicating like this for the purpose of the mission."
Judging from how the revised version continued to be updated, Han Sooyoung must've been hard at work trying to reconstruct Kim Dokja's story in the most preserved, complete state. This novel would become divorced from the reality they had to live through when more and more parts of it were filled up via dramatisation or imagination. As their goal was to recover Kim Dokja, this story had to reflect the reality they had lived in. [As long as this is a story, it's impossible to perfectly recreate something. Every story would be distorted by the narrator, after all.] "I'm aware of that. It'd be the same even if Kim Dokja himself personally wrote it." Yoo Joonghyuk thought about something related to that for a moment or two. If it was impossible to restore the complete 'Kim Dokja' no matter which story you wrote, then just what was the existence called 'Kim Dokja', in the first place? Yoo Joonghyuk shook his head. Back then or even now, no one could know that. Well, no one in this world knew who they were exactly, after all. He looked at Han Sooyoung's manuscript. Those who had forgotten about themselves were probably reading her work right about now. They should be reading this sentence over here, then afterwards, read the one over there next. What Yoo Joonghyuk and Han Sooyoung wished from them was just one thing – wishing for a 'happy ending' that they didn't know to become real within someone's imagination.
Wishing for the world they had never witnessed before to safely exist somewhere out there in this universe. [Constellation, 'Architect of the False Last Act', has revised the latest file.] ⸢By the way, Yoo Joonghyuk? Just how many years have you been wandering…⸥ [Error has occurred in the 'Cloud System' due to incorrect usage!] [Due to the storm of Probability's aftermath, the Stigma will temporarily shut down.] It seemed that using the manuscript in this fashion was pushing it a little too far. Yoo Joonghyuk slowly raised his head and looked at his face reflected on the ark's window. He could see subtle little premature grey hair spots here and there on his head. [Captain, it's not even 100 years yet.] "I'm aware." [The time moves really slowly, doesn't it?] Her voice passing them by indifferently caused Yoo Joonghyuk to falter just a little. Biyoo still in the form of little furball was staring at the passing scenery of the Dark Stratum outside with an unreadable expression on her face. Suddenly, he became conscious of her being Shin Yoosung in her previous life once more. ⸢"Did you know, captain? Did you know that I had to endure incredibly difficult years so that I can grant your request?"⸥
She was an existence who had to wander the world-lines as a lost, forgotten being for thousands of years just to pass on the information to the past regression. Yoo Joonghyuk's lips parted and closed several times. He eventually managed to squeeze some words out. "…It must've been difficult." [Right. It was really tough. I resented you a lot too, captain.] The disaster of flood, Shin Yoosung. The Dokkaebi King Biyoo used to have such a name once upon a time. [Still, these days I feel relieved to have reincarnated. Because I got to keep the promise I made with you back then.] "The promise?" [Back when I was still Shin Yoosung, you promised me this, captain. You said, we'd go on a trip together after the scenario comes to an end.] While listening to Biyoo's voice continue on, he began digging through 41st turn's memories. Maybe it was due to the memories given to him by the Secretive Plotter, he could just about barely recall some things about that day. Shin Yoosung, talking to him about what she wanted to do after the scenario had ended. The 41st turn's Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't keep that promise. ⸢"Shin Yoosung, you're the last one."⸥ His companions died one by one, and during the final moments, he sent Shin Yoosung away to the outside of the world-line.
The memories from that day – just where did the moments from that day disappear to? He didn't know. They could have become the 'Nameless Ones'. "I…" [Let me say this right now. Don't apologise. The person who should apologise, and the person that apology is intended for, they don't exist in this world anymore.] She was right. In a way, the person saying it and the person listening right now weren't exactly the right people. Yoo Joonghyuk had lost the 41st turn's life, and he had forgotten most of the memories from that period of history ever since Biyoo reincarnated. It was now just an old story that connected them. They thought about that story for a little while. [Shall we get going, then?] "Alright." All they could do for now was to complete this lengthy journey, and also, to find the suitable intermediary who could deliver their story. "This time, the married couple writers over there look to be good candidates." More than likely, this trip would last for much longer. But Yoo Joonghyuk didn't feel that was such a bad thing.
As the serialisation grew longer and longer in length, the number of episodes that couldn't be filled up only through Kim Dokja's Story fragments or interviewing the companions, happened more frequently. Lee Gilyoung grumbled unhappily. "Can't we, like, just gloss over it like the last time?" "Since when did I ever gloss over anything? Lee Seolhwa, that thing I asked you about, get it ready!" The moment Han Sooyoung finished saying that, Lee Seolhwa wheeled in a strange device with multiple suction cups connected to it into the hospital room. Yoo Sangah spoke up. "…Isn't that the Story fragment extractor?" Lee Seolhwa nodded her head. "Yes. And from now on, we'll start extracting Story fragments from everyone." "Our Stories?" "It's possible that you aren't remembering everything, and some could be hidden below your subconsciousness, as well. I'm sure you're all aware of it by now, but the majority of a Story is usually accumulated within one's subconsciousness." "Ah, but, it's kinda embarrassing… What if weird Stories suddenly pop out?" As if she was obviously hoping for that, Han Sooyoung cut in with an evil-sounding voice. "Hey, Lee Gilyoung, Lee Jihye. You two go first." That caused the duo being called out to back away while hesitating somewhat.
"Argh, why should I? We already told you everything we know, you know? Right, noona?" "Of course, of course!" Completely disregarding whether they did that or not, Han Sooyoung grabbed and shoved them down on some chairs, before placing the suction cups on the duo's heads. Lee Gilyoung freaked out. "Ahhh? That feels super weird, you know! Feels like you're putting a plunger on my head!" Tsu-chuchuchu! "Euh-hihiheek?!" ['Lee Gilyoung's' complete Story has been extracted!] [Story, 'Demon King Fanatic', has started singing.] ⸢"Oh, oh~ Dokja hyung said this~ back then…"⸥ "I knew it. Even the name of the Story has 'Fanatic' in it." Lee Gilyoung didn't say anything as he slumped on the seat. Han Sooyoung narrowed her eyes and glared at the boy, before shifting her glare over to Lee Jihye next. With excellent timing, that girl's Story had just been extracted, as well. ['Lee Jihye's' Story fragment has been extracted!] [Story fragment, 'Natural-born Bender of Facts', has begun its storytelling!] "Oh, my? Hey, why don't you write the novel instead of me?"