729 Episode 28 House (7)

I reflexively looked back.

"Tie up Killer King. Quick!"

Wolves aren't just outside your home. There are wolves in this house too.

"Kim Dokja. I don’t give in to 'staging'."

Killer King, wearing a black wolf mask, spoke confidently.

Of course I know he won't attack us. I believe in him too.

"I know."

However, I believe in 'stories' more.

"This is to protect you. Please believe me."

Killer King looked at me for a moment and then nodded his head.

"I believe you, Kim Dokja."

Even during this time, one concept was clear: He was just an incarnation and can be affected by the story.

Kyung Sein moved quickly like a flying squirrel and tied Killer King tightly to a chair, and Cha Yerin spread snail slime on him. Ye Hyunwoo, moving leisurely, tied the bamboo stem around Killer King's legs as if twisting a rope.

I never told them to do something like that.

Ye Hyunwoo asked Killer King, who frowned.

"Are you hurt?"

"A little."

"Okay."

The moment Killer King was about all tied up, sparks began to strike in the air.

Tsutsutsutsu.

Old stories are remembered by the constellations.

Constellations look back on their memories, reminisce, and sometimes even add probability for reenactment, and enjoy stories in their own way.

The strength of the story fragment 'Brick House' has become stronger. That wasn't all. The eyes of the wolves that were blowing deathly sounds outside the window were changing.

The embarrassed wolf constellation issued an order.

The wolf incarnations jumped onto the roof of the brick house one by one, paying no heed to the constellation's order.

The wolves that were blowing, and the wolves that were headbutting the brick house, all started jumping on the roof as if they were possessed.

Even the tightly bound Killer King trembled, his eyes turning red.

This was the power of stories.

"Kwaaaaaaaa!"

The wolf incarnations that came through the chimney fell into the boiling water and screamed. Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible to get rid of them with just boiling water. If you've reached the eighth scenario, the incarnations will also have a certain level of pain tolerance.

However, under the influence of this 「staging」, such introspection was useless.

Their core attribute now is 'wolves', and the water in the furnace will inflict pain on the 'wolves' equivalent to Uriel's [Hell Burning].

Even if you ask why something like that happens, there is no answer.

Because this is just that kind of story.

The story of a little pig who built a brick house and won over the wolves.

The wolf incarnations that entered the chimney started convulsing and screaming as soon as their feet touched the water. Some crawled out of the chimney passage with their feet melting in the steam, while others bounced like popcorn.

And there were constellations that enjoyed observing their suffering.

And the protagonists of the 「stage」 were us.

The poor 'Three Little Pigs'.

Although the original story includes the sacrifice of the 'first pig' who built a house with straw and the 'second pig' who built a house with wood, it was omitted in this stage.

Nevertheless, no constellation raised an issue.

Because this is a story that everyone already knows.

Obvious sacrifice and obvious death give no inspiration to the constellations.

What they are curious about is not the ordeal of the little pigs.

'So what happens next?'

Only how exhilaratingly can someone take revenge. And how miserably the constellation that was in the position of a predator fell.

Now we were agents of that revenge. People who reproduce old stories on behalf of the constellations and reinterpret stories on behalf of the constellations.

Thus, the incarnations that receive coins and live.

This was the world that Kim Dokja had lived in all along.

Kyung Sein grabbed my sleeve.

"If."

A faint tremor passed through my sleeves.

"If we all chose the wolf camp… what would have happened?"

There was no need to ask.

"Everyone would probably be dead."

The story was successfully recreated, and the wolf incarnations that threatened us were exterminated.

Did we make the right choice? Did we successfully clear the 'event scenario'?

So why is the center still waiting for my 'choice'?

As I slowly turned my head, I noticed other prisoners who were unable to evacuate and remained inside the inn.

Even though the wolves that had been harassing them were suffering miserably, their expressions did not look happy. There were also some who were distorted or sad.

And the guys watching this story from the sky right now were all from the 'zodiac'.

"Dokja-ssi. Killer King—"

Killer King's eyes were red and his breathing was becoming rough. The rope tying Killer King also became tense as if it might break.

The story was encroaching on Killer King.

"Tie it stronger! You just have to hold on a little longer!"

"Shall we turn on the drink?"

"Do it yourself!"

Killer King’s screams were heard. But screaming is better than dying.

Bigger rewards. Their Words sounded almost convincing.

No one in the group wanted to sacrifice Killer King.

He chose the wolf camp himself and protected his party for a month.

Are we going to kill him just so we can finish one 「staging」?

"Hey, wolf!"

I shouted to the wolf constellation beyond the wall, 'The Wolf Who Likes Little Red Riding Hood'.

"Just do it in moderation. It’s obvious what will happen if the 「staging」 continues like this."

'The Wolf Who Likes Little Red Riding Hood' hasn't climbed onto the roof yet.

Perhaps this is because this 「staging」 is imperfect, and the constellation can overcome the influence of the staging to some extent by his own will.

Nevertheless, if time passed like this, the ending of the story was obvious.

But will Killer King be able to hold out until then?

I took a deep breath, organized my thoughts, and continued speaking.

"I know. It’s probably unfair to you too. You’re not even a part of the story. So let’s stop."

『The Three Little Pigs』 was an old story.

Now there is no wolf that tried to eat the pig, nor is there the youngest pig that fought bravely against the wolf.

All that remains are the constellations in the sky, twinkling calmly, chewing, biting, and tasting old stories.

Outside the dimly lit window, I could see the incarnation body of the wolf trembling.

Clearly, the 'wolf' was the villain in 『The Three Little Pigs』. But even in this story called the <Star Stream>, are wolves still the villains?

What is that predator afraid of that makes it tremble like that?

Right. Clearly, the wolf of Zone 13 was a villain. However, the animals here did not seem to be very afraid of the wolves.

Rather, they were worried about the wolf's behavior.

In particular, the crane owner looked like he was going to collapse at any moment.

"Please, please stop. That wolf cannot die. An even bigger tragedy will occur."

What on earth are these animals afraid of?

The blood vessels around his eyes burst and the wolf lost his temper and his body hit against the brick house. A dull impact sound rang out.

Coo coo coo coo.

The wind blowing out from the wolf created a strong gust and shook the brick house. Once again, his huge body crashed into the brick house.

Again and again, it was not the brick house that was broken, but the body of the guy.

The crane owner and the other beastmen screamed.

"No! I would rather offer meat. Please, please!"

"Isn’t this the wolf that was harassing you?"

The owner of the crane opened his eyes wide at my words and said.

"Yeah, it might seem that way. But you don’t really know how this district works. His death doesn’t change anything. This story—"

For a moment, I felt like I knew something.

It wasn't the wolves they were afraid of.

Rather, they are beings that are 'far above' those 'wolves'.

The wolf constellation was dying. The incarnation was a mess, and most of the stories it had were destroyed.

Now, the wolf barely had any memories of the 'Three Little Pigs'.

Even his modifier has nothing to do with 'little pigs'.

Nevertheless, he became part of the stage because he was a fellow wolf.

I spoke to the guy. But he couldn't hear me.

A blood-covered wolf constellation was looking at the sky.

He was talking to the stars that were laughing at him.

As I watched the wolf crashing into the unbreakable wall, I had a strange feeling for a moment.

I was swept away by emotion.

Perhaps I too know the story of a man similar to me.

The man was born against his will and was caught up in a scenario that had nothing to do with his will.

He threw his life away many times to break the scenario, but he was never able to overcome the final 'wall'.

In the end, the 'wall' is,

This is because it was a wall that only opened when opened from the other side.

I heard someone shouting at me. A sound of dissuasion. Indirect messages from the constellations. Screams and howls.

All those voices mixed together like a discordant sound.

The moment I opened the door to the brick house, it dissipated like magic.

The scenery outside the house was surprisingly calm. Neither the indirect messages from the constellations nor the screams of the incarnations were heard.

Raindrops falling from the gloomy sky.

A wolf constellation wearing a bloody wolf mask was looking down at me.

I told the guy.

"Please come in."

A sharp anger rose from the front paws of the wolf constellation. It was expected that he would tear me to pieces at any moment.

"The game is over. Don’t you know that there is no way for you to win once 「Staging」 has occurred?"

The chance of success was slim, and the risk was too great.

Nevertheless, the reason I dare to do something like this is,

"You don’t seem to know, but this 'story' has no definite end."

Maybe it's because I have a similar story flowing through me.

"The Three Little Pigs is a traditional fairy tale. Depending on the oral tradition, there are various endings. It is the same that the three brothers worked together to defeat the wolf, but the story after that is different."

If I remember correctly, this story has an 'open ending'.

Like some story I know.

"In some versions, the wolf is thrown into boiling water and turns into soup. In other versions, the wolf is fried to death like popcorn. And in other versions—"

I know the chances are slim.

The probability that the ending I want will come is probably as low as the probability that <Kim Dokja Company> will finally get Kim Dokja back and they will all live together in a big house.

Nonetheless, if this gamble pays off...

"The wolf reconciles with the three little pigs and they live together in a brick house."

In this 41st round, stories that were impossible in any world line may finally become possible.

The wolf opened his mouth.

But unfortunately, the wolf had no say in this story.

With an ominous indirect message, the wolf's eyes began to turn red again.

Lightning struck from a stormy sky. A huge hole appeared beyond the swirling sky.

"Kim Dokja."

Little Yoo Jonghyuk hurriedly stepped in front of me and said.

"Something is wrong."