Chapter 517: 517

The panoramic view of the cosmos could be seen beyond the pitch-black window . I rested my forehead against the cold glass and wordlessly stared at that dark world .

I couldn’t tell how long it had been . I wanted to look back; if I did, then maybe, they would still be sitting in their seats even now, so I thought .

⸢Kim Dok-Ja finally stopped crying . ⸥

“I didn’t cry, you dumbass . “

⸢He lied, too . ⸥

” . . . . . Just for how long are you going to stay as the narrator? The story’s over now . “

[The 4th Wall] cackled on . I felt slightly encouraged by that laughter and took another look beyond the window .

The ones I wanted to see were no longer reflected on the glass . The planet Earth I used to live had grown distant beyond my reach .

Of course, that didn’t mean I wasn’t there .

[‘Avatar’ skill is currently active . ]

[Due to the separation of the world-line, the connection to the ‘Avatar’ has been cut-off . ]

[Your Avatar will continue to live his life with its own ego . ]

The me of 49% .

[The applicable Avatar will no longer be under your control . ]

That guy would never realise that he was an Avatar . He’d simply live the life of ever after along with the companions as Kim Dok-Ja .

⸢W hy 49%, tho ugh?⸥

“I was trying to divide exactly by 50% each, but it didn’t work out . “

⸢W hy 49%, tho ugh?⸥

The exact same question again; it was impossible to hide anything from [The 4th Wall] .

“You already know why . “

⸢N ot v ery li ke y ou⸥

“No, it is exactly like me . “

Something that the idiotic, immature, and selfish during the crucial moments ‘Kim Dok-Ja’ would have done .

⸢2% . ⸥

That number was the proof – and the lie – that I remembered my companions far better than my Avatar .

Even if no one knew of this version of me existing here, even if the companions’ stories had come to an end like that . . . But, at the very least, I swore to myself that I’d never forget about them .

⸢Y ou re gre tting it?⸥

A soft noise came from the clunking subway . I was treated to the view of a completely empty subway interior . The handles no one held onto limply shook about .

⸢Don t fe el so lo nely⸥

“I’m not . “

I slowly regulated my breathing .

I had already experienced a similar situation before . It was also like this back when I became the ‘Demon King of Salvation’ and fell into the story’s horizon . In a way, my situation was better than back then . Well, I wasn’t currently suffering from the penalty of leaving the scenario, after all .

If there was one thing different from back then, it’d be . . .

⸢I’d never be able to meet my companions . ⸥

” . . . . Do I have to stay inside this subway forever?”

⸢S t a y?⸥

“I’m asking if I can go outside . “

[The 4th Wall] remained silent as if to ponder what I was asking here, before making its reply .

⸢Th ere is no con cept of ‘access’ in t his p la ce⸥

“What do you mean?”

⸢T his p la ce is a sanctum . A p la ce whe re the ‘Most Ancient Dream’ sle eps⸥

After I heard that, it began to slowly dawn on me .

Every world-line related to the ‘Ways of Survival’ was a dream of the ‘Most Ancient Dream’ .

⸢All the worlds were dreams that were given life in this place . ⸥

Along with a ‘Flash!’ all the windows of the subway transformed into display screens .

At first, I mistook them for the TAS advertisement installed in the special area within the subway network . Scenes from various scenarios were streaming past the windows . Of course, there was no way that I was looking at mere advertisements .

Tsu-chuchuchu . . . .

A vague migraine assaulted me . The sights of the world-lines scattered around the universe were now streaming by .

Only then did I gain a new appreciation of just what kind of an existence I had become .

⸢He was now the ‘Most Ancient Dream’ . ⸥

My shaky steps took me closer to the window . The screen gently trembled like the surface of water, looking fragile enough to be broken at any time I wanted to .

⸢Kim Dok-Ja was scared . ⸥

I didn’t need someone to tell me that to know .

Every ‘story’ in this world existed only because a reader read them .

⸢If he doesn’t watch, the world will come to a stop . ⸥

Staring at the world and dreaming endlessly . . .

⸢ . . . . This was the weight the ‘Most Ancient Dream’ had to bear . ⸥

I slowly closed my eyes . This was what I chose . And obviously, being able to watch was far better than not being able to .

And on top of that, it was the same thing as me having become the ultimate Constellation that could peek on every world-line out there, so . . . .

“The 4th Wall?”

⸢Wh at⸥

“The ‘Most Ancient Dream’ acted like a Constellation, didn’t he?”

Under the guise of a ‘Constellation’, the previous ‘Most Ancient Dream’ sent messages during the regression turn I lived in . Although it was the subconscious actions of a child who didn’t know anything, there was no denying the fact that such an action nevertheless interfered with the system .

⸢Cor rect⸥

“Then, how about me connecting to the world-line I lived in as a ‘Constellation’ . . . . ?”

⸢Y ou th ink th at wi ll be pos sible?⸥

“It’s not?”

⸢N ot the pro blem of pos sibil ity or n ot⸥

I mulled over what that could mean for a bit, before biting my lip, hard .

” . . . . Right, I shouldn’t do that . I understand . “

I recalled all the hardships my companions and I had to experience to reach this conclusion . We fought to eliminate the Constellations, and to erase the system . And we succeeded .

But for me to revive after coming this far, now that would . . . .

⸢Lu ckily y ou can’t e ven if y ou wa nted to⸥

“Why not? I’m the ‘Most Ancient Dream’ now, aren’t I? If I imagined it, it’d become reality, right?”

⸢Ca n’t con trol eve ryth ing just be cau se y ou’re the ‘Most Ancient Dream’⸥

Sparks gently danced along with ‘Tsu-chuchut!’

It seemed that the current ‘me’ couldn’t fully exercise the ‘Most Ancient Dream’s’ power to influence .

⸢Y our mast ery over the dr eam is n’t en ough⸥

… . As I thought . If it was that easy to control, then it’d not be called the ‘dream’ in the first place . I didn’t know when it’d be possible, but at least for now, I couldn’t do it .

I chewed my lips for a little while, before continuing on . “In that case . . . . what about just watching?”

It was right then, something inside me wiggled .

The inner ‘me’ that I couldn’t rule over – I sensed this humongous subconsciousness taking root deep within me . This subconsciousness extended its roots towards another world-line, and through these roots, began pulling up the stories of this world .

My vision darkened, then the sights of the world-line spread out like a kaleidoscope .

⸢It was the view of the world he missed so much . ⸥

I thought I saw the distant lights of the [Industrial Complex] . Then, I saw the backs of my companions headed there . Not a shade of darkness could be spied on their expressions . In the middle of the group as they walked shoulder to shoulder was another Kim Dok-Ja, kitted out in the white coat .

I already knew .

Even though I knew . . .

My heart crazily pounded away, my breathing getting shallower, faster . I panted heavily and screamed out . I endured the sensation of vomit welling up, shook my head, and opened my eyes .

As I felt for the floor while swimming in dizziness, I realised that I was the only one inside the subway .

⸢W hat’s wr ong? Do n’t wan na wat ch?⸥

I did want to watch . Their happy faces, their expressions of finally escaping from the scenario’s hell . I wanted to read the story that I so desperately longed to see . However, I couldn’t .

If I did, then without a doubt, I’d want to go back .

” . . . . I have to see it, right? If I don’t, the world won’t move forward, right?”

⸢Y ou’re al rea dy wat ching⸥

“What?”

⸢Sub con sciou sness is a part of con sciou sness . Y ou are al rea dy wat ching the ma jor ity of world lines⸥

“In that case . . . . “

⸢No ne ed to bur den y ours elf⸥ [The 4th Wall] spoke as if to console me . ⸢Y ou d ont h ave to do an yth ing . Y ou’re al rea dy wat ching sub con sciou sly an yway⸥

I could just close my eyes and forget everything . It’d be fine to enjoy myself within the dream just like a pure, innocent child with no guilt weighing me down . [The 4th Wall] was telling me that there was absolutely no reason to mull over the tragedy once more and get hurt in the process .

⸢However, Kim Dok-Ja wasn’t a child . ⸥

“I can’t do that,” said I, while wiping away the cold sweat . All these world-lines were my sin . I created them, and I destroyed them . “I must see them . “

And this was the only way to atone for them .

As I slowly stood back up, the world-lines appeared on the windows .

The countless world-lines from the ‘Ways of Survival’; the tragedies of someone, brought to reality because I had read them, were now being displayed there .

… . Perhaps, there was something I should see first before seeing the stories of my companions .

As if it knew that already, [The 4th Wall] addressed me . ⸢Wi ll be a v ery long ni ght, Kim Dok Ja⸥

I’m sure it’ll be .

I smiled back . “Don’t worry . I can do this properly . This is the story that I adore the most, you see . I know I can definitely watch it until my dying day and not get sick of it . “

⸢But y ou mi ght gr ow to h ate the st ory you l ove the mo st one d ay⸥

“If that happens . . . . ” I spoke while reaching towards the scenes appearing within the screen . “That will be the price I must pay . “

I slowly pressed on the glass, and my fingerprints were engraved on the display .

[The world is now receiving your gaze . ]

[A world-line has received the power of life from your consciousness . ]

When I reopened my eyes, my body was levitating off the floor, about a hand-span high or so . It felt like I was having an out of body experience .

I was startled by the bustling nearby and looked around to discover a crowd of people . They walked right into me and past me as if I was invisible to them .

Every one of these tired faces belonged to the office workers on their way home .

This place . . .

I scanned my vicinity and saw the orange colour denoting the subway’s 3rd line . Surprisingly enough, I found myself floating above the subway platform . The current time and all sorts of subway-related information were displayed on the LED screens installed on the ceiling .

[6:55 PM]

Exactly five minutes before the beginning of the scenario .

Soon enough, the Bulgwang Station-bound train arrived along with the noisy announcement .

People climbed aboard the train one by one . I’d have stopped them if only I could . However, nothing would change even if I did . The scenario would begin regardless of where you were, anyway . All I could do now was to climb aboard the train along with them and watch all these tragedies unfold .

⸢And a face Kim Dok-Ja was intimately familiar with was there . ⸥

The Bulgwang Station-bound train no . 3434, the car number 3707 .

A certain man absent-mindedly staring outside the subway window was there . After observing his face for a little while, I ended up smirking a little .

When I thought about it, it was pretty obvious .

In the end, all these world-lines were repeated through one man’s regressions . So, it was only obvious that I’d encounter this fool at the beginning of the story .

⸢This world’s protagonist . ⸥

Quite obviously, Yu Jung-Hyeok failed to sense my presence .

No, his disinterested gaze remained locked on the outside of the subway, his mind currently submerged in his thoughts . A face that remained calm even when knowing that the scenarios were about to begin; I had no choice but to be impressed by that .

… . You’re really an amazing guy, aren’t you .

I had already witnessed the end of the scenarios, but my skin still trembled simply by re-entering this scene . Yet, you managed to endure these moments dozens, hundreds of times .

The stopped subway train began moving and the time flowed forward once more . That ‘thing’ should begin soon, if my knowledge served me correctly .

⸢During the 3rd turn, Yu Jung-Hyeok would begin by killing everyone within this subway car . ⸥

I recalled the beginning of the 3rd turn that I knew of . I wasn’t sure which regression turn this was, but the beginning wouldn’t be so different from that . I slowly scanned the surroundings and spotted a man acting suspiciously by the exit .

“Heuh, heuh-euh . . . . “

Several people shifted their gazes over to the man after hearing his intermittent grunts . The man carrying a twisted expression sniggered and looked around himself, then suddenly, pulled out a home-made bomb and a lighter .

⸢On that day when the paywall began, there was a certain man riding on the same subway car no . 3707 as Yu Jung-Hyeok . ⸥

” . . . What’s that?”

“H-hey, man!”

⸢The subway terrorist, Choi Han-Gyu . ⸥

The shocked crowd screamed and retreated . People freaked out after witnessing the sparks exploding from the man’s hands and stood up from their seats, causing the scene to turn chaotic .

As for Yu Jung-Hyeok, he was quietly staring at that man .

Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up and snatch that away .

According to the storyline I knew, Yu Jung-Hyeok should’ve suppressed Choi Han-Gyu the moment they climbed aboard the subway and took away the bomb . However, he hadn’t done that .

Why was this? Yu Jung-Hyeok’s expression, the one I thought was calmness personified, was now pale-white in fright .

It was then, the interior of the train became dark along with the screeching noise . People’s screams morphed into sorrowful cries as they witnessed the flame being lit up within the darkness .

Something had gone awry here .

⸢Why isn’t Yu Jung-Hyeok making his move?⸥

Hang on a minute, could this be . . . . . ?

[7:00 PM]

And then, as the ‘Tick!’ noise resounded out, the world’s rules changed .

[The free service period of the planetary system no . 8612 has concluded . ]

[Main Scenario has begun . ]

The flames lit up by the terrorist brightly illuminated Yu Jung-Hyeok’s face, his eyes trembling in pure fear . He stood there, unable to do anything . I too, had fallen into a bout of panic . Pages of the Ways of Survival began flipping inside my head .

… . Just which regression turn was this?

Was this around the 900th, when he lost his mind? Or around the 1200th?

During which regression turn was this half-wit Yu Jung-Hyeok . . . . ?

[Channel #B-7623 has opened . ]

[Constellations are entering . ]

“Heuh, heuh-heuh, heuh-euh . . . . . “

The crowd began running towards the next car of the train, away from the figure of the terrorist clutching the explosive as the man’s eyes glared at the surroundings .

[Extremely small number of Constellations are getting interested in Incarnation ‘Choi Han-Gyu’ . ]

And Yu Jung-Hyeok was still standing in the same spot . The one I knew would never react like this . No, Yu Jung-Hyeok was someone who’d resort to the perfect showmanship to suppress the situation from the get-go . But now, he was making this stupid face that I had never seen before under the terrorist’s threat .

One I had never seen before . . . Never seen . . . ?

It felt like a lightning bolt had gone off in my head .

So, that’s what this was, this storyline .

Countless pages flipped inside my head, before the book itself was closed shut .

This was the regression turn that got treated as nothing more than a passing reminiscence back in the ‘Ways of Survival’ .

Some stories would actually begin from a moment that wasn’t written .

“P-please, don’t . . . don’t kill me!”

“Aaaaaahk!”

⸢This story is the unknown beginning of the ‘Ways of Survival’ . ⸥

This world-line was the one that I didn’t get to read – Yu Jung-Hyeok’s 0th turn .

Fin .