790 Episode 37 Graduation ceremony (6)

I spat out the bloody lump that had come out, grumbling, onto the floor.

That's it. This is how I achieved my goal.

The fact that I was able to hold on even when I would have fainted if I had been normal was proof of that.

The fact that this wall has activated means that the readers I've absorbed, and my sponsor, have safely entered the 'library'.

I smiled bitterly and answered the story, who was grumbling.

'Thank you.'

If that little story hadn't cooperated, it would have been impossible to restore the [Fourth Wall].

The existence restoration rate has increased to almost 20%. In fact, I felt that my soul's level had increased significantly compared to before.

Now, my level has increased to the point where I cannot avoid the attention of the constellations. This was even though I was still unable to properly control the constellation within me.

I have inherited all of the abilities of my brother, the Demon King of Salvation, so perhaps that is only natural.

I tried to calm the stories down and took a deep breath.

Story Fragments that are still awkward to call my own.

Among them, there were Goo Seonah's, Kim Kyungsik's, and even an unknown reader's.

Some of the stories had such severe side effects that they were impossible to absorb, especially Goo Seonah's story.

It was at that time that [Incite] ran wild and spread out recklessly, touching <Olympus>'s 「Hermes System」.

Thanks to that, I was able to annihilate all the great constellations in <Olympus> that had invaded the Recycling Center, so it may have been a good result.

I guess this means there is no turning back for <Olympus>.

Well, it doesn't matter. They were going to kill me anyway.

"Dokja-ssi!"

As I listened to the voices of the group running towards me, I barely managed to hold on to my consciousness that was about to break away.

The scenario was definitely over. However, not everything was over yet.

Just as my future path was more important than graduation, what was going to happen from now on was more important to me.

At the same time, it was clear what it meant.

I as an incarnation succeeded in the scenario, but I as a constellation failed in the scenario.

Why—

Right now, I have become the 'Demon King of Salvation'.

"What the—"

The moment Kyung Sein, whose eyes had become sharp, reached out her hand toward me, I jumped up enormously.

"Uh, uh?"

My energy began to rise into the air.

"Dokja-ssi, why—"

Kyung Sein looked up at my stomach with his eyes wide open.

"Why Dokja-ssi, the Cheon Jong-un Sword…..."

Cheon Jong-un Sword was piercing me instead of the incarnation of the Great Demon King of Salvation.

"This is the price of reciting the story of 'Salvation's Learning'."

"Isn't the scenario over?"

Kyung Sein and Dansu ahjussi were flustered.

I looked down at the two of them and smiled.

The people who survived until now, I am grateful to them. Now, they have become incarnations that can do one person's work. Even if I am not here, they will somehow survive. They will be able to get through the next scenario, and the one after that.

"Yes. It's all over."

I felt my body slowly being sucked back. The crack that had formed in the air was sucking my body.

If I had been bound to the scenario like my sponsor, I would have died here.

However, I was not dedicated to the scenario, I just received his [fate].

So even if I was pierced by the Thousand Song Cloud Sword, I wouldn't die here.

"Dokja-ssi!"

"No! Dokja-ssi! Stop!"

I would just be banished to a place where there was a very high chance of death.

I waved my hand to calm the group down and said.

"Don't worry! I won't die! This is just—"

"Do you think we're stupid?"

Killer King, who had shouted, grabbed my arm through the aftershock.

"You, what the hell did you do? Why is the scenario banishing you!"

It seemed that I couldn't fool the readers.

"Everyone, catch him! Don't let him go!"

It was the first time I saw Killer King so passionate .

I looked at him and said.

"Cha Sungwoo-ssi."

Cha Sungwoo looked at me in surprise.

I realized that many things had happened since meeting him. However, we had talked a lot, but not that much.

We don't know much about each other.

Where we used to live, what kind of food we like to eat, what games we like to play, what we think about before going to bed after a hard day.

We don't know anything about each other.

The only thing we share is one thing. That we've read the same stories and admired the same characters.

"Come to your senses. You're the Yoo Jonghyuk of those people."

Cha Sungwoo trembled as if he had been struck by lightning after hearing my words.

A person who has the patience to read a story a hundred times. A person with an unwavering spirit that won't waver in the face of any ordeal.

The group needs such a pillar.

"Shut up! Kim Dokja, what do you know—"

With a crack, my sleeve that he was holding onto was torn. The crack sucked me in even more strongly. At that moment, when I was about to be swallowed by the crack, a spider web flying from the air tightly tied my body.

It was Ji Eunyu.

At the same time, the group holding each thread of the spider web began to pull me.

"Pull! Quickly!"

I saw the group hanging on the spider web and pulling me.

Cha Sungwoo, Cha Yerin, Kyung Sein, Lee Dansu, and Ji Eunyu.

Shin Yoosoung pulling together behind Ji Eunyu. Lee Jihye and Lee Hyunsung, who joined in late. KimNamwoon pulling the rope with one hand as if he was going to die.

And where the words fell, there was Jung Heewon, who was just beginning to shed tears. It seemed that walking was still difficult, as Jung Heewon staggered and reached out her hand toward me.

I looked at her like that, then looked back at the things and laughed heartily.

"Come on, everyone, don't worry. I won't die. I promise!"

That's why I didn't want to be 'The Demon King of Salvation'.

"Don't make promises like that! If you say something like that here, you'll—"

I knew how deep and distant the 'salvation' in his modifier was.

Even so, I received that modifier, and unfortunately, the group had now become the companions of the Demon King of Salvation.

The spiderwebs that had slowly grown began to break one by one. Just like the stories we had tied together were coming apart.

"No!"

Ji Eunyu's extended spiderweb broke.

I spoke to Ji Eunyu, who was moving away.

—Ji Eunyu. You always said that.

I really have no intention of dying.

Since I had no intention of dying, this parting had to be refreshing.

—Excessive emotions actually hinder the readers' immersion.

I heard Ji Eunyu shouting something from afar, but I couldn't hear it.

Pitch-black darkness covered me. A place where I could see no stars.

A terrible cold air then came. It was a cold that was hard to bear, even with the [Fourth Wall].

The sharp cold began to dig into the stories that surrounded me. I felt the stories that formed the constellation 'Demon King of Salvation' freezing in real time.

It was clear what was happening.

This was the end that the constellation 'Demon King of Salvation' would face. And after I, as a constellation, perished, my weakened incarnation body would also begin to disappear.

At that moment, a voice was heard along with a faint warmth.

—You.

I knew whose voice it was, so I smiled and answered.

'Bihyung.'

—Damn bastard.

I simply stated my business.

'Can I receive the item I requested to purchase earlier?'

As the original author of 『Infinite Instructor』, I was able to receive a huge amount of coin royalties while working on the scenario as the original author.

I used more than half of the coins I had acquired to buy one item.

—This… is an item that cannot be sold, you know?

'It is.'

—You will not survive if you buy this.

Bihyung must know. I will die now with a very high probability.

As a constellation, and as an incarnation.

'Please go. If you stay here too long, you will be suspected.'

—Survive somehow, you idiot…!

Bihyung's voice broke off.

A cold air came over me again.

Every time a story lost its function, it felt like every joint in my body was being torn apart. I checked the item that Bihyung had given me with my pale, frozen hands.

It was a small horn.

'Horn of the Horizon.'

An item that sends the user to the 'Story Horizon'.

I took a few deep breaths and blew my remaining breath into the horn with all my might.

Soon, with the sound of a small whistle, my body began to fall somewhere. I fell, fell, fell again, and how long did it take? When I came to my senses, I was on the cold dirt floor.

I suddenly raised my upper body from the floor.

A garbage dump was visible through the blurry sky.

My stomach churned and I felt like crying.

I survived. I somehow made it here.

I don't know. I will definitely survive and return to my companions. And so, I abandon Kim Dokja's story.

The moment I looked up at the sky with that thought, the sky, which should have been empty, flashed. Several flashes of lightning struck the ground, and something descended on the ground. <Olympus> constellations.

I smiled bitterly.

"This is it."

I never thought those bastards would chase me to a place that wasn't even a scenario area—to be exact, this landfill.

"You must be really angry."

I squeezed out the last of my strength and started my story. Then, my heart stopped.

I felt the strength drain from my entire body and fell forward. Finally, the stories of the 'Demon King of Salvation' had finished their mission.

A coldness different from before pierced my skin.

I could see the constellations laughing at me and approaching me step by step.

They really are vicious. I would die even if they left me alone, but they came all the way here to finish me off.

In the gloomy sky, I could see letters floating around them.

It was a story I knew well.

I understood many things later. The reason why they were able to maintain a healthy castle gate while invading the lower scenarios so recklessly.

And just like Asmodeus, they had figured out how to use them in some way.

A faint sense of despair came over me. I thought that this time, there was nothing I could do. If I had known this would happen, I would have just given my stories to Ji Eunyu or Killer King.

But I couldn’t give up until the end. The moment I thought about somehow activating [Incite]—

"◼️◼️. ◼️◼️◼️ ◼️◼️◼️…!"

I heard someone chattering. I raised my head and saw a familiar new figure. A man in a pitch-black coat and holding a long spear was glaring at me.

Yoo Jonghyuk?

For a moment, I couldn’t understand.

How could Yoo Jonghyuk be here?

He should have cleared the scenario by now and returned to Earth, so why—

Personal scenario. A scenario that the constellation can specially grant to incarnations who clear scenarios after number 10.

If someone had granted Yoo Jonghyuk a personal scenario, it wasn’t impossible for him to appear. But who on earth would take such a risk right now?

There could be no crazy constellation that would chase me all the way to the Scenario Exile Zone and give Yoo Jonghyuk a 'personal scenario' against the will of the constellations—

"Is that the way to live good? You ◼️birds◼️."

Wait a minute. Did Yoo Jonghyuk… swear like that?

I could see white wings fluttering behind Yoo Jonghyuk.

A sigh escaped belatedly.

There was one. One person.

A constellation that spit out harsh curses with a face more beautiful than any constellation I know.

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