838 Episode 44 Evil Sophist (1)

There were clearly '21 days' left in the countdown before I went in to meet the Recorders.

There was no way 21 days had passed in that short time, and unless a new Fear had occurred in the countdown, the current situation was clear.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure out what I had done wrong. All I did was meet the Recorders, and make a few of them a little angry (was that really the problem?).

And all I did was fail the deal...

I opened my palm and looked down at the interpretation of the 'Fear of Natural Disaster' that was sparkling.

"You. Didn't you 'trade' anything?"

Chunghuh's expression as he looked at me was strange.

For a moment, the Transcendents looked at each other.

"No, no one told you, did they?"

"I thought it wasn't really necessary to tell you. There's never been a case like this before."

"There's a newbie who refuses to make the Transcendent Leap?"

Cheok Jungyeong, who was watching me from the side, touched his forehead.

Kyrgios opened his mouth with a sigh.

"If you don't deal with anyone in the 'deal' with the Recorders, you will incur the wrath of the 'Fear Realm'."

The wrath of the Fear Realm? Why? Because I didn't deal with the Recorders?

Chunghuh nodded and added.

"Maybe that's why the countdown disappeared."

"Did I really cause the apocalypse?"

Now, even if I were called Kim Apocalypse-ssi after Kim End-ssi, I would have nothing to say. Damn it.

Even in the midst of the destruction of the sky cracking open, Chunghuh added with a hollow laugh.

"Don't think like that. It was all going to happen someday."

The screams of the Outer Gods were heard from all over the entrance to the Time Fault. Some of them were already sticking their heads or tentacles out of the Fault door.

"They're popping out! Stop them!"

"Damn it! This is a Natural Disaster!"

"We need the protection of a Captain!"

Looking at it this way, this 'Time Fault' looked like a huge prison for Outer Gods.

There were Outer Gods running wild in each Fault, and the Transcendent Alliance was exterminating them.

A strange thought suddenly occurred to me.

What on earth was the Second Kim Dokja trying to do by gathering them together?

Why did he create a place called 'Fear'?

I don't know, but I'll find out soon.

If the doomsday prophecy is true, and if the disappearance of the countdown means the prophecy has come true, then the 'Second Kim Dokja' will appear before my eyes soon.

The problem is.

"Kkaaaaaaah!"

"They're popping out here again!"

Before that, all the Transcendents were going to die.

Before I knew it, all the Captains around me were busy exterminating the Outer Gods trying to escape through the door.

But no matter how hard the Transcendents tried, it was impossible to stop the many 'Time Faults' from going wild. From the 'doors' above that no one had touched, unidentified Outer Gods were jumping out one after another, making terrible groans.

An Outer God that looked like a hybrid of Medusa floated through the air and suddenly rushed toward me. I hurriedly took out my 'Unbreakable Faith' and tried to swing it, but something was moving toward it faster than me.

With a crack, Medusa's entire body was sharply torn apart.

A streamlined tail blocked my path as if protecting me.

It was a Disaster-level Fear, the 'Tooth Fin'.

The guy who had disappeared on the subway home had managed to chase me all the way here.

"Oh, that's the Tooth Fin? You managed to tame that guy?"

When I turned my head, there was Lieutenant Ryunard. It seemed like he had a pretty intimate relationship with the Fears, so Ryunard patted the nose of the Tooth Fin a few times and added,

"By the way, the End has come again."

It was a tone that made it seem like it wouldn't be strange if 'The End' were changed to 'weekend'.

As if he was used to this situation, Ryunard stood next to me, swaying, and looked up into the air.

"I tell you, it's spectacular every time I see it. Look at that. Isn't it even cooler when everyone just lets it go?"

I wondered if it was okay to keep saying such crazy things when all the Transcendents were dying, but when I thought about it carefully, it wasn't so strange.

Weren't all the Transcendents a group that had a screw 'exquisitely' missing from their heads in the first place?

"I don't know if I can put it that way."

When I looked at it this way, this 'End Zone' seemed like a giant terrarium of Outer Gods.

A cosmic fishbowl filled with gods who were abandoned in the main story and rejected in the scenario. In that fishbowl, the Outer Gods were pouring out their anger toward the world without hesitation.

Another Transcendent was torn in half. Eyes widened in disbelief. He must have been a famous master in the <First Murim>, but he was ending his life in a place no one would remember.

Is it proof that I am also becoming a part of this Fear Realm that I am becoming indifferent in the face of death?

I opened my mouth as if to resist.

"If we leave this, we will all die."

"We will die."

"You will die too."

"Me, Chunghuh-nim, Karlton. You. We will all die."

The expression 'die' was so indifferent that I looked back at him without realizing it. Ryunard smiled brightly.

"This isn't my first time dying. Oh, you, newbie, are you a little different?"

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t my first time dying, but no matter how many times I’ve died, I don’t want to die again.

"Is there really no way to stop it?"

"A way to stop it…"

Ryunard said, admiring the pure white light scattering across the sky.

"There’s no way to stop the apocalypse, but there is a way to return it to its original state after the apocalypse."

Is there such a way?

"See that door over there?"

The 'door' that Ryunard pointed to was hanging at the very top of the room.

A place where the tentacles and heads of the terrifying Outer Gods roamed.

When I squinted my eyes, I saw the round number written small next to the door.

I doubted my eyes for a moment.

If what I thought was right, that door is, that is.

Just thinking about it gave me goosebumps.

That kind of Time Fault exists?

"Should I really go through that door?"

"Hey. If I go in there, I'll die too?"

"Really?"

"Do you see the small button next to that door?"

Upon closer inspection, there was a small black button next to the door.

"Yes. I can see it."

"Just press that. That's the 'reset' button for this 'End Zone'."

The reset button for the End Zone.

"If you press that, everything will be restored to how it was before the 'End Prophecy' occurred. Dead souls will come back to life, and the Time Faults that went wild will stabilize. That's the kind of Fear that has that 'effect'."

I stared at the black button for a moment and then asked.

"Who made that?"

"I don't know. Some say it's a gimmick created by a great old being, and others say it's a Fear created by the King of Fear in agreement with the Recorders. What's certain is that when neither one nor the other works, you just press that."

"Then why can’t I just press it now? While the damage isn’t too severe—"

"That button can only be pressed after the apocalypse is over. And to be honest, I don’t press that button very often."

"Why?"

"Think about it. Do you really think pressing that button will 'return everything to normal'?"

For a moment, my lower shins creaked.

With slightly unfocused eyes, Ryunard continued.

"Is it really true that the dead can come back to life? Is it really 'possible' to turn back time? If that’s possible—"

"…"

"Is the 'me' who died and came back to life really the same as the 'me' before? Who can guarantee that? If it’s possible to guarantee that… what on earth is 'me'?"

A strange chill ran over me. Suddenly, the black button in the sky began to feel terrifying.

I thought I could understand a little why the Transcendents weren’t pressing that button.

"If it doesn't work out, I'll press the button, but if possible, I'd rather it not happen. Hey, there! Take that!"

After lightly stabbing and subduing several of the approaching Outer Gods, Ryunard threw a chunk of Outer God into the Time Fault.

However, there were still too many Outer Gods that hadn't been sorted out. Even the Outer Gods in the Upper Echelons were starting to stir, so the commanders looked tense.

Cheok Jungyeong, who had quickly sorted out the Time Faults in the Lower Echelons, quickly approached me.

Cheok Jungyeong, who was emitting a red aura from his entire body, glanced around and spoke to me.

"Master."

Cheok Jungyeong had a very solemn expression on his face as he said that. I could tell from his expression. No matter what happened, he would never run away from this 'End Zone'. To be honest, my relationship with Cheok Jungyeong was not long. His decision to make me his disciple was based on a misunderstanding, and I was just using him.

However.

"Master."

Still, Cheok Jungyeong was the first person to welcome me here.

When this time is recorded in the distant future, I don't want it to be read that Cheok Jungyeong died in the 41st Fear Realm.

"If I had 'made a deal' with the Recorders, wouldn't the End have begun?"

Why does the Fear Realm get angry if you don't 'deal' with the Recorders?

I thought about it for a moment based on that fact.

The Fear Realm is the 'region ruled by the Second Kim Dokja, the King of Fear'. But why does such an unwritten rule exist in such a place?

"What happens if the Transcendent makes a deal with the Recorders?"

"If the Transcendent makes a deal with the Recorders, a new Time Fault will open."

For a moment, it felt like a light went on in my head.

"Master."

"No, I won't escape."

"It won't be cut off. I think I know how to stop the End."

Cheok Jungyeong looked back at me in surprise at my words. His expression was a mixture of faint anticipation and criticism of his immature disciple.

I looked at that Cheok Jungyeong and asked.

"Master, what do you think 'the End' is?"

Chuk Jungyeong hesitated for a moment and then answered.

I nodded.

Everything I thought from now on was just a guess.

"Only the 'King of Fear' who loves all Fears could love such an End."

I made the worst assumption that 'Second Kim Dokja', who had been trapped in the Fear Realm for a long time, had finally gone mad and was living a new story like this, enjoying such stories.

"But the 'Greatest Story' isn't always fun."

The End.

It's definitely an interesting subject. However, such subjects aren't always fun.

To a guy who sees the same end every time, the value of this 'End' probably isn't the same as the value of the first End.

Sadly, just like the weight of Yoo Jonghyuk's First and 100th regressions. In this world, sadness, joy, and emotion all fade away in repetition.

"I have a story that the 'King of Fear' would find interesting."

That's why this was an 'adventure' worth trying.

I told Cheok Jungyeong the number of the 'Time Fault' I wanted.

At Cheok Jungyeong's signal, the Transcendentals of the entire group began to move while escorting me. We pushed through the waves of Outer Gods rushing in from beyond the Fault, and we continued to advance.

Fortunately, the door was not far away.

Just looking at the scenario numbers gave me goosebumps.

Even the entrance to the Fault had a title written in an unfamiliar handwriting.

The moment I read the sentence, I felt the original price inside me react.

I had already obtained the right to enter this 'Time Fault' from Cheon Inho in the 40th Round.

And finally, this Time Fault was—

So I thought. If I enter this Fault, and if I can just catch the attention of the 'Second Kim Dokja', the 'End' might be postponed.

As expected. Cheon Inho in the 40th Round was still alive until scenario 99.

Since I've come this far anyway, there's no need to hesitate any longer.

The moment I took a deep breath and put my hand on the door of the Time Fault, Cheok Jungyeong asked.

"It's okay. It might be a little difficult, but—"

"Yes?"

There was someone who entered the Fault before me?

When I turned around in surprise, Cheok Jungyeong answered with a somewhat displeased expression.

I got goosebumps for a moment. It was so obvious who Breaking the Sky Sword Saint's disciple meant.

But how could he have visited here a month before me?

If I had spent more time on the 'Fear' of the 'subway on the way home from work' than expected, it wouldn't be completely impossible.

No, it's more like that now.

"That guy... Did he enter alone?"

I blankly looked at the monitor of the Time Fault.

The monitor screen was completely dark.

Then, a log message from the Fault appeared at the bottom of the screen.

If that guy were alive, it would never appear.

Dear Readers! Are you enjoying your read? Please consider donating to help keep the ORV-Reader running! Thank you for your support! (My rent is due TwT)

• Support ORV-Reader