829 Episode 42 Destination (5)

The 'doors' of the Time Faults that covered the entire space and filled up to the very top of the sky.

I approached the closest door.

"Hey, disciple. Don't go in. There's a passenger there."

I looked at the door that said [2-1 Round]. The number '2' in front of it probably meant Yoo Jonghyuk's world Round.

And the '1' behind it...

Is it a scenario number?

The monitor hanging next to the door showed a scene from the subway.

It was a scene I knew very well.

—Kwaaaaah!

—Save me! Save me!

A woman with cold eyes was sitting in the scene of the First Scenario that repeated forever.

I knew it without anyone telling me. She was the 'Passenger' of that world.

"That guy said that's where she fits best."

"…"

"The difficulty of the Fault itself is low, but it is a place with high fatigue, so it has a unique character."

According to Cheok Jungyeong, all Transcendents enter the Fault of their choice, spend time, and repeatedly practice to achieve enlightenment.

Some Transcendents achieve enlightenment by repeating the same actions or scenarios, while others experience overwhelming time and raise their level.

"In my opinion, that guy is halfway crazy. She must have forgotten that she has to come out again by now."

In fact, some characters seemed to have forgotten that they were experiencing repeated scenarios in the Time Fault.

For example, the Transcendent that entered [6-21] looked quite serious at first glance. His pupils were weak, and saliva was dripping from the corner of his mouth. No matter how you looked at it, he was a person with madness.

"If you don't come to your senses, that's what happens. After all, that 'Time Fault' is also a 'Story'."

"If I don't live the story, the story will live me."

Cheok Jungyeong's eyes widened at my answer.

"Wow, disciple. You know some pretty good words. It's just like the invincible snake that always says."

"Shouldn't we go and save those people?"

"They probably don't want to be saved."

"Why?"

"Even though they look strange from the outside, they might be in the process of achieving enlightenment."

Enlightenment? That? No matter how you look at it, it looks like they've gone crazy.

"You can't know what's going on in their head, right?"

Well, that might be true.

Even if they're drooling on the outside, they might be in the process of leaping to a state of profound enlightenment on the inside.

If that's the case, you'll probably get cursed at later if you try to save them.

"And there are many cases where you can't enter at all because the number of people allowed to enter is limited to one. That Fault just now was the same."

Upon closer inspection, [6-21] had a limit of one person allowed to enter.

That means that even if that person were to go crazy there, no one would be able to save them.

"Anyway, entering the Time Fault is their own choice. There's no need to feel pity when you see them all. Rather, it's an insult to them."

I felt a little lonely as I watched the Transcendent drooling in the darkness.

The people who threw away their entire lives just to become stronger.

What made my feelings more complicated was that the place they threw their lives was that 'Time Fault'.

Maybe all Transcendents are ultimately a kind of Yoo Jonghyuk. Or maybe they want to be Yoo Jonghyuk.

"Can I go in too?"

"It seems like you're interested now."

Cheok Jungyeong chuckled as if he knew that would happen.

"But not yet. You haven't taken the 'Fear Suitability' test."

"Fear Suitability?"

"As you can see, most of those who enter the Time Fault cannot maintain their incarnations. Well, there are exceptions. For example, if there is an identical 'incarnation' within that 'Fault', that's an exception. Like that old man."

The place that Cheok Jungyeong pointed to was [Round 16-59]. In the screen of that Round, there was a boy who was practicing while sitting cross-legged in the hellfire.

I immediately recognized who that boy was.

The invincible Yoo Hoseong.

He was the master of Breaking the Sky Sword Saint.

In the main story, he was on the "Island of Reincarnation", but in this Round, he chose to reside in the Fear Realm.

Cheok Jungyeong continued to speak.

"Anyway, depending on how high your Fear Suitability is, the type of 'Time Fault' you can enter also changes. That's talent here. No matter how powerful a Transcendent is, if your Fear Suitability is not right, you can't enter."

"I see."

"The suitability test is tomorrow. I’ll tell you what you have to do then, so go in and get some rest today."

I nodded, but even after Cheok Jungyeong left, I didn’t leave right away and just stared up at the distant Time Faults.

I don’t know why the 'Time Faults' came into existence. However, I had one guess.

"That bastard Kim Dokja… How much have you read?"

This world ultimately exists through Kim Dokja's 'reading behavior'. That means that these many 'Time Faults' could also be the results of Kim Dokja's 'reading'.

For example, those abnormally split memories might be the result of Kim Dokja 'rereading' the world from time to time.

Just like opening a page of a book to read when he remembers it, Kim Dokja might have read, read, and read this world again.

I thought as I counted the endless number of Time Faults.

Second Kim Dokja.

What are you looking for in this distant past of Yoo Jonghyuk?

The next day, I took the 'Fear Suitability' test. I don't know why so many captains came to a rookie's suitability test, but my masters were among them.

"I'll find out if you're qualified to be a Baekcheong-mun."

"That's all for finding out. My disciple! Ignore what this parasitic brother says!"

Kyrgios and Cheok Jungyeong were still fighting, and.

"You're here, Cheon Inho."

Anna Croft, who had been waiting at the location in advance, greeted me and said.

"Are you here to take that strange test too?"

"Yes. What."

"Is it a mun test?"

"..."

"If the test results lead to being kicked out of the Fear or something..."

Anna Croft had currently betrayed her nebula and fled here. If she were to be chased out of the Transcendent Alliance right away, she would have nowhere to go.

I looked at Anna for a moment and said this.

"Don't worry."

"How could you..."

"You said it. Your ability is not all about [Future Sight]."

It is true that Anna Croft is an incarnation specializing in 'Information Warfare' compared to other named incarnations.

But that doesn't mean she has no talent in other areas.

Anna Croft, who had been quietly staring at me, slightly opened her eyes and turned her head.

"I didn't know you'd say that, but..."

I smiled.

Well, sometimes, there are days when a villain like me can cheer others on.

In this way, Anna Croft has a cute side.

After a while, the Commander-in-Chief approached us.

"Nobu is called the God of Despair."

The Commander-in-Chief of the Transcendent Alliance was that old man. That is, the person who told me, 'Welcome to the Transcendent Alliance.'

By the way, the God of Despair...

I've heard that nickname a lot somewhere.

"The test itself is simple. Just read the sentences written on the blank paper I gave you."

Anna Croft was the first to receive the paper. It seems that the sentences on the blank paper will appear when the test starts.

Cheok Jungyeong, who was watching me from afar, waved his hand and shouted.

"Jeji, don't be so intimidated Mira! Even reading just one word is amazing!"

"You're a newbie who's finally here, but you should at least read one line."

"If you're a disciple of Baekcheong-mun, you should be able to read two lines."

"Shut up, Gisaeng Brother."

Amidst the leaders' scorn, Anna's test began first.

"Ah."

Did a sentence appear on the blank paper?

Anna's brow furrowed slightly.

A spirit of despair blew.

"Can you read it?"

Anna Croft nodded, and a light rustle arose among the meadows. It seems that being able to read that itself is an amazing thing here.

Anna Croft took a deep breath and slowly opened her mouth.

"The first sentence written in space."

An awkward pronunciation, as if reading an unfamiliar foreign language.

Anna tilted her head a few times and slowly finished speaking.

"The first sentence was Ini."

Then the paper shook lightly, and a dazzling ring of light flowed out and hovered over Anna's head for a moment. It hovered. A short silence flowed. When Anna, who was burdened by the silence, slowly raised her head, the God of Despair took a step closer and asked.

"Can you read the next one?"

Anna Croft lowered her head again and stared intently at the blank paper. One minute, two minutes passed like that.

Anna shook her head with an uncertain expression.

"No. I don't know."

"I see. You passed."

A light exclamation of admiration erupted from the Transcendents.

"Young friend, you're really good."

"It's been a while since I've read the first sentence. When was the last time?"

"Didn't Goryeo Swordsman read even one sentence?"

"I read it too, you bastards."

It seemed that reading an entire 'sentence' in the Fear Suitability test was an extremely rare case.

"It's not easy to read the first sentence... If you're at that level, you could be put into a 'Natural Disaster level Fear' right away."

"Arthur. Are you going to replace all the new recruits again?"

"You grow by bumping into things."

"Hey you! Apply as you are!"

The one who calmed down the noisy Transcendents was once again the God of Despair.

"Now, now, be quiet. The test isn't over yet."

The God of Despair then handed me a blank sheet of paper.

To be honest, I felt strangely excited rather than nervous when I received it.

What could be written on it?

An item that didn't appear properly in the main story or even in the 'Ways of Survival'. Maybe this 'blank sheet' contained a hint about the 'Second Kim Dokja'.

After a while, a sentence appeared on the paper.

I stared at the sentence carefully and carefully read the first sentence. It was the same sentence that Anna Croft had read.

"The first sentence written in the universe wasn't the first sentence."

The moment I read the first sentence, a ring of light flowed from the paper and hovered above my head.

Once again, exclamations were heard from those around me. "What, you read it again?"

"As expected, it's my disciple!"

I blankly looked down at the paper. Anna Croft couldn't see the next sentence.

Why... can I see it this well?

"All sentences are nothing more than fleeting dreams, and the order of dreams is determined only by the dreamer."

With each additional sentence, the ring of light hovering over my head began to grow.

"Some dreams are short, some are long, some are deep, some are shallow. Some are pitiful, some are great, some are sublime."

Before I knew it, silence had taken hold of the surroundings.

I continued reading the story, echoing the silence.

"All those dreams cannot become a single old dream, so there must be a place where the abandoned dreams gather."

As I read, I realized little by little.

I see, this is it.

"There must be a very big house beyond time and space, unfettered by the laws of dokkaebis. There, all dreams are free as Fear. In the snowy fields of incomprehensible dreams, the King of Fear will smile, neither light nor darkness."

A story about the 'Fear Realm'.

And.

"But every story has an ending, so one day, those who wish to record the end of Fear will come."

A story of those who wish to record that Fear.

"The Fear that has begun to be recorded will return to being a tale. It will become a set story. It will be recorded in history again."

The moment I read that far, someone muttered.

"Wait a minute. Is it okay to keep reading that?"

"Disciple! Stop! If you read to the last sentence—"

But it was already too late.

I couldn't take my eyes off the paper, and my mouth was only functioning to read the sentence on the paper.

"When that day comes, the boundary of sleep will open, and the King of Fear will descend. And only he who defeats the King of Fear—"

At last, I finally said the last sentence.

"At the border of dreams and reality, he will become the last storyteller who denies all records."

When I slowly raised my head, I could see three rings shining brightly above my head.

The pale-faced Transcendent Legion spoke to me.

"My God, there's someone who can read all of that?"

"That kid's Fear Suitability is…"

"For God's sake, Chunghuh! Is that okay? If you're not careful—"

And then, as if it had been waiting, a message spread through my head.

It seems that this 'paper' was also a kind of Fear.

The problem was the message that came next.

What level?

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