Chapter 416: 416

Two days passed by since the end of the ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’ .

The nightmare-filled ‘Isle of Reincarnators’ could no longer be seen; Constellations were gradually leaving the Ark for their rightful spots in the night sky .

– This stop is for .

Constellations from stood up from their seats after the ship made the announcement . Dionysus, standing as their representative, shifted his gaze over to Jeong Hui-Won and addressed her . [My apologies for leaving first, even though this is a difficult period for you . ]

“No, we’ll be fine, thank you . “

[Do not be overly worried, however . He’s no ordinary Constellation, after all . Without a doubt, he’s still alive . ]

He lightly tapped her shoulder and soon, disappeared beyond the Dark Dimension while leading other Constellations . She stood there and silently waited until they were gone from her view before climbing down from the bow of the Ark . When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she found a person waiting for her – Han Su-Yeong .

“Dionysus?”

“He left . “

“Both Cheok Jun-Gyeong and the , too?”

“I think they’ll be leaving pretty soon . “

“And Uriel?”

Han Su-Yeong continued to ask, and Jeong Hui-Won continued to answer . Most of what they chatted about were trivial information, stuff like Hades and Persephone, Uriel, Cheok Jun-Gyeong’s abode, etc . Some who would be leaving, some who would be staying, some who would accompany them… . A part of the info was about the matters everyone knew already . The thing was, though, it was not really important whether someone knew this or that .

“Ha-Yeong-ee is still completely worn out and teacher-nims are helping her out by performing ‘Chu-gung-gwa-hyeol’ . ” (TL note at the end)

“And Ji-Hye?”

“At the back, fixing her battleship . “

“What about Yi Hyeon-Seong?”

One would ask, while the other would answer . They walked on the corridors of the Ark and repeated this process . It was as if they wouldn’t be able to hold back even for a second by not doing it .

“What about the kids?”

“Well, they . . . . . “

Before Jeong Hui-Won could finish her sentence, they heard the kids’ voices coming out from one of the cabins lining up the corridor .

– I knew it . I gotta sign the contract with the darkness right now so I can get my revenge for hyung… .

– Revenge? What revenge? Ahjussi is definitely alive . I can feel it .

– … . Well, uh, I also knew that . If it’s Dok-Ja hyung, he’s definitely . . . . !

– You need to wake up already . We need to come up with a sound plan right now .

Jeong Hui-Won’s and Han Su-Yeong’s steps came to a halt at the same time as if they had promised to do so . They listened to the kids’ conversation . Those two were bawling uncontrollably only the day before . However, the two of them, as they appeared through the cabin’s window, were . . . .

” . . . I guess they will be fine, after all,” said Jeong Hui-Won .

Han Su-Yeong waited for a beat before asking her . “What about you, then?”

The latter didn’t reply . Instead, her gaze slowly faltered . The former stopped looking at her conversation partner, and shifted her own gaze lower, too .

Jeong Hui-Won opened her lips eventually . “He asked me to save him . “

” . . . . “

“He pleaded with me to rescue him . “

She tightly clenched her fist . They didn’t need to stare at each other to feel this emotion resonating between them .

It sounded as if dry rain was falling somewhere; Han Su-Yeong listened to that noise impassively, before speaking up . “We’ll have a lot of things to do when we get back . “

” . . . Right . I know . ” Jeong Hui-Won rubbed her face with her sleeves and smiled weakly . “For the time being, we should go back to Seoul, right?”

“We should . “

“There will definitely be some bastards aiming for Seoul now that Dok-Ja-ssi has disappeared . And we’ll have to sort out the law and order back home, too . “

“Who’ll tell Yi Su-Gyeong, though?”

“That, well . . . . “

The two women stopped talking and stared at the empty space for a while . The first person to break the silence was Han Su-Yeong . “I wish we still had Yu Sang-Ah with us in times like these . “

” . . . . I miss Sang-Ah-ssi . “

They had lost far too much getting here .

Their gazes shifted outside the window to see the passing view of the Dark Dimension . They saw the stars on the faraway galaxies sparkle softly .

The universe wouldn’t be destroyed just because a single star suddenly vanished . There was a countless number of them, and their light would continue to exist afterward, too .

But for those living on a certain planet, that particular star would be everything they knew about the light itself .

Han Su-Yeong did her best not to look at Jeong Hui-Won’s reflection on the window . The latter muttered in the meantime . “Just what on earth has happened to Dok-Ja-ssi?”

The former didn’t reply and began walking again . Not too long afterward, they arrived at the last cabin in the corridor . They quietly opened the door and entered to find Yu Jung-Hyeok wrapped from head to toe in bandages lying on a bed .

Han Su-Yeong spoke as she rummaged through her inner pockets to find a lemon candy . ” . . . . We should be able to find out once this idiot wakes up . “

*

This happened back when I was still in the middle of reading the ‘Ways of Survival’ .

I was scrolling down the chapter, fully satisfied knowing that I had completed the day’s work, only to discover something written on the [Author’s words] corner at the bottom .

– Dok-Ja-nim, what do you think?

I’ve already forgotten what that question related to . It might have been about the plot development, or he might be implying something about the novel itself . Now, how did I answer him back then?

– Mm . Well, such a simple twist is a bit . . . .

– You thought so, too?

I was startled anew by this portion of my memories . Did something like this really happen? I remembered so well about the ‘Ways of Survival’ itself, so why have I completely forgotten about this part of the memories? I couldn’t understand it at all .

Right, now that I looked back, the author did chat with me every once in a while, didn’t he?

As for me, I wrote comments to engage the author; most of the time, it was to cheer him on, or to ask questions regarding the next regression turn, but sometimes, I did try to tackle him over the novel, too .

I think it was around when Yu Jung-Hyeok had just gone past the 600th turn .

I just couldn’t understand something about the novel no matter how hard I thought about it, so I end up arguing with the author through the comment section .

– Author-nim . Was that a typo? How can Jung-Hyeok-ee smile brightly?

‘tls123’ replied back .

– Anyone would change like that after regressing over 600 times .

I thought that the answer kind of made sense after hearing it . And that must’ve been the first time that I began thinking earnestly about the number of times Yu Jung-Hyeok had regressed .

Regressing over 600 times, was it . What did life even mean to a being that had to repeat such a life over and over again?

⸢Kim Dok Ja, wa ke up . ⸥

Dull pain pulsed inside my head and my consciousness returned gradually . My body felt lethargic, and terrible pain buzzed from all corners of my Incarnation flesh . I barely managed to tear my eyes open, and the faint rays of light pierced into my eyes .

And then, a familiar voice came flying in my ear .

“Looks like he’s finally woken up . “

Yup, he just couldn’t be nice about it, now could he .

I smirked a little and shifted my head in the direction of the voice .

However, something . . . . seemed off .

“So, this fool is that Kim Dok-Ja?”

By the time I fully opened my eyes, I discovered myself surrounded by countless Yu Jung-Hyeoks .

*

I needed another ten minutes or so to regain my consciousness again .

I had blacked out once more, and after waking up, kept my eyes closed and tried really hard to figure out what the heck was going on here . At least, I needed to get a bead on the current situation .

Firstly, the ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’ was over .

I was certain of that; messages waiting in the log proved that fact, at least .

[You have acquired the Great Fable, ‘Season of Light and Darkness’!]

[Your third Great Fable has completed its ‘Climax/轉’!]

[Third condition for the hidden scenario – the ‘One Single Fable’, has been met!]

[Final Fable is waiting for you . ]

[The entirety of is set abuzz over your achievement!]

[Majority of ‘s Constellations are now paying attention to your Nebula!]

[Regarding your Fable, the absolute majority of the Constellations are . . . . ]

I had finally completed the ‘One Single Fable’s Climax/轉 . The energy belonging to an unimaginably enormous Fable was now roiling powerfully inside me .

The Great Fable, the ⸢Season of Light and Darkness . ⸥

It was my first time hearing about such a Great Fable . But that made sense – the collision of the Nameless Mist and the Apocalypse Dragon didn’t occur in the original story, after all… . With that as the starting point, the entire world-line should begin experiencing sudden and violent change .

The march towards the apocalypse had sped up, so it was only obvious that the rate of the entire scenario’s progress would speed up as well .

Secondly, someone did rescue me .

My problem began from this point on . Just who did save me?

“It’s no use pretending to be unconscious . “

As an aside, the very last face I saw was that of Yu Jung-Hyeok’s, coming to save me . So, maybe it was obvious that I’d end up seeing his face now .

But, uh, the problem was… .

“Not just his dumb looks, but it seems that even his head is dumb . “

“Just like what I’ve heard . “

… . Why were there so, so many ‘Yu Jung-Hyeoks’ in this place??

Not only that . . .

In complete stupefaction, I gazed at the five, six ‘kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeoks’ currently standing around on top of the bed . Without a doubt, they were Yu Jung-Hyeoks, but all of them were . . . big-headed chibis with short limbs and about the same size as Kyrgios . (TL: ‘Kkoma: an informal Korean word denoting a child, or in this case, a chibi-like figure . )

… . Am I still dreaming??

Right, this had to be a dream . Right, the stress he put me under every single day had piled up and must’ve caused this horrifying delusion . That had to be it . I hurriedly slapped my cheeks, prompting the kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeoks to speak one after the other .

“He must think this is a dream . Like a fool . “

“He may need some time to figure out his current situation first . “

“What an annoying bastard . Do we need to wait for him, then?”

I cleanly ignored them and scanned the room I was in . It was a huge circular-shaped room; everything, including the table, the chairs, the other smaller knick-knacks, and even the bed I was sitting on, was circular-shaped .

… . Where the hell was I?

I thought hard and long, but nothing came up . A room with such peculiar furnishing would be more than memorable enough, but I couldn’t remember ever reading about it in the ‘Ways of Survival’ .

Wondering if I stumbled into an area for a new scenario accidentally, I summoned the scenario window, only to be smacked in the head with the following message .

[Currently, is in the middle of scenario system maintenance . ]

Meaning, there was pretty much nothing I could learn in my current situation .

“Looks like he’s almost done with analysing his situation . “

“I shall ask again . Are you the one called Kim Dok-Ja?”

The kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeok with a hot-tempered facial expression asked me . Now that I took a closer look, there were different numbered cards stuck to the chest of each kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeok, and the one who asked me just now had [999] written on his .

I decided to answer them for the time being . “Correct . I’m Kim Dok-Ja . “

The kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeoks looked at each other and nodded their heads simultaneously . These little guys, even though they were much smaller than the original, they acted exactly the same as Yu Jung-Hyeok .

“Looks like the correct one has been brought over, then . “

Even the voice was the same, too… .

I didn’t know what was going on here, but by this time, I had to accept it . I was not stuck in a dream . And thanks to some unknown crazy whims of the Probability, I somehow ended up in a strange, fantastical kingdom where kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeoks lived .

“Who are you guys?”

I decided to ask them first . I knew that they wouldn’t answer me straightforward if they were anything like the original Yu Jung-Hyeok, but still . One of the kkomas began muttering out . “How pathetic . Can’t you tell by looking?”

Yup, thought as much . If I was to be stuck in a world like this, then I’d have preferred to be surrounded by the kind, gentle kkoma version of Yu Sang-Ah, instead . I was wondering how should I retort back in order to hear a proper answer from these guys, but then, the ‘Yu Jung-Hyeok’ with [888] written on his card spoke some rather unexpected words . “With your dull head, you’d never arrive at the correct answer no matter how long you agonise over it . So, I shall tell you . We are a part of the ‘great Plotter’ . “

… . Great Plotter? Could it be?

A chilly sensation flitted in and out of my head just then .

The ‘Yu Jung-Hyeok’ with [777] on his chest must’ve interpreted my silence on his own way and spoke in a mocking tone . “Your pathetic intelligence shouldn’t be enough to understand it now . “

Right, these guys, they were definitely Yu Jung-Hyeok . There was absolutely no doubt about that now .

“If you’re fully awake, then get up . Someone is waiting for you . “

“Who’s waiting for me?”

“You’ll see when you get there . “

I got up unsteadily and followed after that kkoma . The round door opened up and a huge corridor appeared before me . The one to take the lead was the kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeok number [999] . I followed him . The rest of the kkomas trotted after us, too .

I asked one of them . “What is this place?”

That prompted one of the Yu Jung-Hyeoks following me to speak up . “Eun gui ei soup . “

“What was that?”

“It means, the N’Gai’s Forest . You’re supposed to be a prophet, yet you can’t even tell that?”

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What the hell . Why did you say that in English, then? (TL note at the end . )

The kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeok number [666] glared at me as if he was disappointed and turned his head away, obviously unhappy .

It was around then I began thinking that maybe, those numbers represented the regression turns each Yu Jung-Hyeok had lived through .

… . What did Yu Jung-Hyeok do around the 666th turn? Was that when he partnered up with the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon?

I spotted the view of a silver forest outside the windows lining up the corridor . N’Gai’s Forest, was it? Sounded familiar, as if I had heard about it somewhere . However, I wasn’t sure whether this place ever appeared within the ‘Ways of Survival’ . . . .

It was then when our group encountered another one walking towards from the other side of the corridor .

[So, is he the one the Plotter had brought along?]

No, could I even describe their movements as ‘walking’?

Overcome with the sensation of all the hair on my body standing up, I subconsciously gripped the hilt of my [Unbreakable Faith] tighter .

Because, ‘Outer Gods’ were walking towards us from the opposite side .

Existences that emitted auras incomparably more unstable and ominous than any Constellations . One of them sported a horse’s head, while others were monstrous creatures covered in disgusting-looking tentacles . Those tentacles extending up to the air seemed to tilt their ‘heads’ for a bit, before shuffling closer to my direction . No matter who looked at that, they wouldn’t be able to describe their intentions as friendly at all .

Unexpectedly, the one to step in their paths was none other than the kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeok number [999] .

“He’s our guest . Don’t even think about harassing him . “

[But, it should not be a problem just to have a little chat?]

“I shan’t permit it . “

The kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeok number [999] declared as thus, and unsheathed the miniature version of [Heaven Shaking Sword] from his back .

Following that, the kkomas numbers [888], [777], and even the number [666], they all unsheathed their weapons mounted on their backs and hips .

… . These guys, could they even really fight? I mean, they all kind of looked like action figures, so . . . .

Maybe the other party thought the same as me, because they began emitting stubbornly persistent hostile aura towards us .

[How dare you . . . Just because you’re the dependents of the ‘great Plotter’ . . . . ]

As the stand-off quickly became even more volatile and the tentacles and the kkomas were about to start fighting, a loud ‘Thud’ resounded out from somewhere . Outer Gods busy wiggling their tentacles about suddenly all knelt down .

The only one among them still standing was the horse-head that showed animosity towards me .

[■■■ . . . . . !!]

Another ‘Thud’ resounded out . Finally, even the horse-head had to slam its head on the floor . Those tremors couldn’t have been a simple shockwaves of an earthquake .

No, someone was intimidating these Outer Gods with incredible Status right now .

[Wu, wuwu . . . . . ]

Outer Gods groaned in pain and moved out of the way . At the end of the corridor, there was an entrance leading to a huge hall . It was an open-type, with the massive circular ceiling decorated by the tumbling, roiling branches of trees . I walked into this hall accompanied by the kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeoks .

Thin rays of sunlight permeating in between the branches illuminated an ancient, worn-out throne right in the middle of that great hall .

No one needed to tell me, but I knew it right away . The being sitting on that throne, he was the king of this forest .

Not only that, I knew who he was already, too .

The scar on his face, revealed under the faint rays of the sun, and the exact same white coat as mine .

The being I thought I’d not get to meet again was sitting right on that throne .

[It’s been a while, Kim Dok-Ja . ]

Fin .