789 Episode 37 Graduation ceremony (5)
I quietly looked at the Demon King of Salvation. He and the starlight that had been so dazzling were now dimming.
The reason was simple.
[Your current existence restoration rate is 10%.]
The amount of 'Kim Dokja fragments' that I possessed had increased more than that.
I quietly held my brother's shoulder that had shrunk.
You can read it again.
The Demon King of Salvation opened his eyes.
It seemed like he had woken up from sleep, or like he had died and come back to life. To him who was used to death, perhaps the two were not so different.
He exhaled lightly, and felt a pleasant chill. He looked around.
All he could see was a plain covered in pure white snow. The Demon King of Salvation sighed lightly in that solemn landscape.
Just by looking at the fluttering white snow, he could tell what kind of place this world was.
This is the youngest's world.
He thought about the youngest.
The last Kim Dokja in this world. A being born with a different mission than other readers.
The youngest has always lived seeing this scenery.
The Demon King of Salvation stretched out his hand toward the fluttering snow. Then, a faint whisper could be heard through the snow.
「 "King King! King King!" 」
The cries of ground rats searching for their mothers.
「 "Save me! Save me!" 」
The cries of those who died after failing to overcome the first scenario.
「 "If only there was one more chance, one more chance..." 」
The last wish of those who died after being crushed under the rubble of a collapsed building or eaten by monsters.
Some were recorded and some were not. They all fell asleep between the lines. The Demon King of Salvation shook the snow in the air again while waiting for someone to read it, to imagine it. This time, different stories were heard.
「 "Let's die together even if we die! Don't give up!" 」
It was the story of the people of Geumho Station fighting back to back to save each other.
Bang Cheolsoo, who had become a different person than in the previous round. And the sight of the mother and daughter fighting beside him.
「 "Come on, let's have a bite!" 」
Homeless people at Seoul Station sitting in a huddle in front of the remaining open signboard, sharing warm soup.
「 "I wonder if that hyung is doing well." 」
Jung Heewon's younger brother—Jung Eunho and the children of the Beggar Sect were also there. The children, who no longer needed to set traps and deceive the adults, chatted around the campfire.
Countless constellations hung in the sky that the children looked up at.
[The constellation 'The Last Ark' watches over the descendants of the Beggar Sect.]
An old tower was floating in a corner of the shining sky.
'Recycling Center', Zone 13.
「 "Shouldn't we go help too?" 」
Animals that couldn't enter the <Zodiac Ball> were gathered in a small inn in Zone 13.
「 "But will we be of any help..." 」
「 "If it weren't for that friend, we would have been forgotten." 」
「 "What do you think, Master Crane?" 」
The sentences that remained like faint footprints. The Demon King of Salvation carefully read the sentences that were open but definitely present. He read them diligently, as if he were afraid that there would be a sentence he hadn't read.
How much had he read like that?
Someone was standing in front of him.
"Is it fun?"
It was the youngest.
The youngest looked much more like 'Kim Dokja' than before.
Looking at him like that, the Demon King of Salvation didn't know what to say. Since he didn't know what to say, he had a set plan for what to say.
"What's next?"
"Of course there is."
The two sat side by side and read the stories. They read happy stories, sad stories. Or they read stories that couldn't be defined as happy or sad.
They just liked the story.
"Is there more?"
"There's still a lot left."
He knows. That the youngest had prepared a lot of stories for him. But now he didn’t have much time left.
He heard a sound like waves crashing. He raised his head and saw the distant edge of the snowy field slowly breaking apart.
The waves of destruction were coming.
"Youngest."
"Yes."
"I read hard."
"I know."
"Even though I read so hard—"
The end of his voice broke into small pieces like the waves that were coming.
The Demon King of Salvation smiled bitterly.
For what, for whom had he kept 'reading'?
"Reading alone couldn’t change anything."
Life is life and death is death.
No matter how many times he read it—no matter how much effort he put into it—the world didn’t change.
Someday, the universe will end.
This story will definitely end.
Even though every tragedy is predetermined, even though they know that fact well, why do they read it?
"At least I’ve come to understand one person better."
"One person. Perhaps that one person is a different name to each and every Kim Dokja. There are also people who have come to understand you better while reading your story."
"…"
"Can you really say that it means nothing?"
The Demon King of Salvation had no answer to the youngest's question.
"I've thought about a lot of things since I came here."
The youngest let out a small breath and began to talk.
"When I first fell into this world, I thought I was really screwed. Wow, how am I going to survive? How am I going to get back?"
"That was fun."
"You were watching everything, after all?"
"Hmm."
"Anyway, after somehow surviving, I then had this question. Isn't there a reason why I fell into this world? This world must have called me because I had a mission given to me!"
"…"
"That's why I worked hard to dig around here and there. I converted villains who hadn't been in the spotlight, communicated with monsters who had been rampant, and investigated the backstory of scenarios that weren't shown in the main story—"
"It was a mess."
"Yes. In the end, I asked you for help because I couldn’t do it alone."
"In a pitiful state."
"But thanks to you, I have many interesting stories."
Interesting stories.
The youngest called all those failures, those bitter memories.
"That’s why I’m going to keep going."
Hearing that calm voice, the Demon King of Salvation recalled the expression on the youngest’s face when he first called him.
"Please keep reading. I’ll keep writing too."
The youngest was still speaking in that same voice.
"I’ll prove that the world can change just by reading."
Looking at the youngest’s shining eyes, the Demon King of Salvation thought.
「 If I could be reborn, I hope I’m not Kim Dokja. 」
Every Kim Dokja has their own theme. The youngest in front of him right now was no different.
「 I hope I’m not 'Dokja'. 」
The reason why the youngest was so special among all his brothers. That was—
"Youngest."
"Yes."
"Don't you have something to ask me?"
"…"
"Aren't you curious about who you really are?"
The youngest quivered and sighed.
"Of course I'm curious. But honestly, right now, I'm not sure what to do."
"What?"
"Right now, my head is full of things I want to write, so I don't have time to think about who I am."
"…"
"Someday, my hyung will read and tell me who I was."
The Demon King of Salvation blankly stared at the youngest.
Wouldn't it be okay if it was this guy?
Wouldn't it be okay to entrust the future of all readers to this guy?
The Demon King of Salvation slowly stood up from his seat while watching the waves of destruction approaching.
"Okay, I will."
"Thank you."
"In that sense."
The youngest also stood up.
The Demon King of Salvation spoke to the youngest.
"Now you are the 'Demon King of Salvation'."
The time had come.
It was time to tell all his stories to the youngest. The youngest would receive all his stories and become the 'only Kim Dokja'.
"Huh? I don't want to."
"What?"
"How many times do I have to die and resurrect and do that?"
The Demon King of Salvation opened his mouth.
The youngest continued to talk.
"I can't live like that. Oh, man, I'd go crazy."
"No, hey."
He wanted to tell him that being stubborn like that wouldn't work. He wanted to tell him to come to his senses, that he shouldn't be saying things like that anymore.
But the youngest's eyes were strange.
"I told you. I'm going to write an 'impossible story', and you won't die in that story."
The snowfield was breaking.
The youngest continued talking, looking at the waves that were now right in front of him.
"Why did you think about it for so long? If I really am Kim Dokja— wouldn't I be able to do 'that' too?"
He felt something was wrong. The Demon King of Salvation urgently reached out his hand to the youngest.
"Youngest. Wait a minute—"
"Don't worry, you can just keep reading there."
The waves soon came crashing down on them. The world was shuffled around, and the Demon King of Salvation felt his soul being sucked away somewhere.
As expected.
He would become a story. He would become part of the 「Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint」.
The youngest would read him and live in this world once again—
「 "Huh?" 」
He should have disappeared and become part of the youngest, absorbed.
But why? Why does his ego still remain?
The light flickered between the bookshelves.
The smell of old books in the dark space.
It was a small library.
He knew this place well. He knew it well, so he got goosebumps. His heart pounded hard.
「 "Who else is here?" 」
He turned his head and saw the little Kim Dokjas gathered together in a huddle.
There were girls and boys. The little Kim Dokjas with different hairstyles. The little Kim Dokjas, who were looking at him with curious eyes, all raised their heads like a seagull at the sound coming from behind them.
「 "Ah. Newspaper." 」
「 "Read it quickly." 」
The little Kim Dokjas were gathered in front of the desk, reading something. He staggered toward it. There was a newspaper on the wide desk.
『Today's Kim Dokja』.
A newspaper without a headline.
He read the newspaper, mixing in with the little Kim Dokjas. Sentences appeared on the newspaper in real time.
「 A method to absorb 'Kim Dokja fragments' while protecting their souls. 」
It was the youngest's sentence.
「 Like 'Asmodeus's Cinema, can't I use the same method? 」
The noise rose once again.
Had he prepared this space since he was 2?
「 Will I be able to use [the fourth wall] if I become a Kim Dokja of 2 percent? 」
「 If I were to create that 'library'— 」
The youngest, who didn't want to be just a reader, said. If he were to write an impossible story, then the youngest,
「 Wouldn't it be possible to dream a new 'dream'? 」
He might have already written that first sentence.
A library that would make the impossible story he spoke of possible.
A space where Kim Dokja's reading could continue
[Exclusive skill 'The Fourth Wall' is activated!]
But from there, a slightly strange sentence began to be written.
「 The constellation, successor to salvation, prepared for the death that would come. 」
The moment he wondered what that meant, a message came into his head.
[The 'fate' that bound you is no longer functioning.]
He was brought into the [Fourth Wall] by the youngest, and lost his qualification as the 'Demon King of Salvation'.
And so he is still 'alive'.
So who is now taking on the fate of the 'Demon King of Salvation'? A creepy imagination flashed through his mind.
Youngest.
Pitch-black letters were being written on the margins of the newspaper.
「 The constellation 'Demon King of Salvation' will die in the story he loved. 」
Somewhere, the sound of destiny being realized was heard.
[You are no longer the 'Demon King of Salvation.']
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