988 Episode 59 What Kind of Ending (9)

His head was spinning.

Throughout those eight years, Wukong had repeated the same routines every single day. He ate what the youngest ate and wore what the youngest wore. Immersed in this human existence, Wukong wondered what kind of world the youngest had truly dreamed of.

Wukong couldn't be certain. He had never experienced this kind of 'ordinary life' to begin with.

To him, existence had always been a bloody battlefield—a struggle between constellations vying for legends, a coliseum of stars observing prized incarnations.

A mere eight years. To the stars, it was but a fleeting moment. To Wukong, who had been entombed beneath the Five Elements Mountain for centuries, it was a blink of an eye. Yet, in those eight years, Wukong had learned and mastered a great deal.

Now, Wukong could think with a human heart. He understood human desires and had learned to live like one of them.

He learned these lessons from Hyunsung and Heewon: the necessity of earning a living, the respect for others' property, and the profound value of sharing time with someone.

As he savored every moment of his mortal life, Wukong finally felt he had moved a step closer to the youngest's life. But...

Perhaps the youngest truly wanted to escape this world he had protected for so long.

"I'm asking. Who are you?"

The being who had occupied the youngest's body did not respond.

He feared it might be Asmodeus or some other interloper, but he sensed no such malice within the youngest's body.

He detected a faint magical energy, but it bore no resemblance to the demon kings he knew. It was more like the lingering scent of an old book.

A fragrance that brushed against the deep recesses of his mind, like a long-forgotten memory box.

Wukong frowned instinctively and asked, "Are you possessed?"

Kim Dokja, his shoulders hunched weakly, offered no answer.

"Tell me. How did you break through the prison? How did you take over the youngest's body?"

The youngest was the very foundation of this world; its essence was rooted in his imagination.

To usurp the youngest's body, one would need an imagination surpassing even his own, or be a being whose soul was fundamentally identical.

"If you don't answer."

Wukong seized Kim Dokja by the collar, his voice burning with intensity.

"I'll kill you."

A faint, burgeoning murderous aura saturated the surroundings. But Kim Dokja remained silent, his eyes hollow. Watching the youngest, Wukong's anger slowly mounted.

He did not know who this man was. But if the youngest had been harmed in some unknown way, or if that was why this world was being threatened...

Wukong, his eyes narrowed, gripped Kim Dokja by the collar and raised his other hand.

"That's enough."

A cold blade brushed the back of Wukong's neck. Wukong knew the bite of that steel well.

"Put Dokja-ssi down."

Wukong scowled and turned his head.

"What the hell are you?"

It was the Heewon he knew—the family who had taught him how to live as a human for the past eight years.

That same family was currently pointing a knife at him.

"If you don't release him by the count of three, I'll cut you. One."

It was Heewon's voice and Heewon's face. But the moment he sensed the shimmering stories within those eyes, the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, realized.

This wasn't Heewon.

"Look at this."

Wukong's muscles rippled with irritation.

"This is starting to piss me off. What the hell are you people?"

From the youngest to Heewon. As unprecedented events unfolded in rapid succession, Wukong's patience finally reached its limit.

From afar, Hyunsung shouted, "No! You must not fight!"

Wukong and Heewon's eyes locked, and in the next heartbeat, their hands moved. Sharp steel met clenched fists.

Whoosh.

A soft vibration echoed. It was a familiar resonance, but it stopped Wukong dead in his tracks.

Because it was a vibration that should have never occurred.

In an instant, Wukong put distance between himself and the youngest, reaching into his clothes to pull out his phone.

It shouldn't have been possible. The phone was always kept on 'airplane mode'.

—Caller ID blocked.

The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, answered. Soon, a voice came through the line.

A sensation of peace and comfort. When I opened my eyes, I was lying in a cozy bed. I couldn't remember how long it had been since my last awakening. Staring up at the impossibly white ceiling, I blinked in a daze.

I wondered if everything had been a dream. But I knew that couldn't be true.

A voice suddenly surfaced in my mind, and memories of the past came crashing back like a storm.

And then I arrived in the worldline where the 'third Kim Dokja' resided. My final memory was of regaining consciousness in this body and shoving the Great Sage away from the subway tracks.

"Are you awake?"

The door creaked open, and a tall, blond man appeared.

"Ah."

I unconsciously rubbed my eyes, overcome by a sense of unreality.

The constellation that had integrated all of his stories to become the 'Oldest Liberator'.

One of the four veterans of the early channel, who had once bestowed the epithet 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' upon Kim Dokja.

I knew it. This was my first time seeing the Great Sage in person. Nevertheless, a part of my heart throbbed.

As a fragment of Kim Dokja, I could understand: how much the third Kim Dokja relied on and adored him, and how long he had been a member of this family.

Amidst a whirlwind of longing, envy, and an inexplicable sense of fulfillment, I looked at the Great Sage, unsure of what to say.

The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, watched me and scratched his cheek with an embarrassed expression.

"You're the 'youngest' from another world!"

"Oh, yes. Let me introduce myself first. I—"

I was momentarily speechless. Who should I claim to be?

The Great Sage chuckled at my confusion.

"Kim Dokja, of course."

"Yes."

That's right. I am 'Kim Dokja' now. But I was not the Kim Dokja the Great Sage knew. Oddly enough, that fact stung a corner of my heart.

"I'm sorry. There was a misunderstanding. I heard the general story from this guy."

The Great Sage was gripping a smartphone. The Great Sage and a smartphone? It seemed like an odd combination, but looking closer, I saw a name on the screen.

It seemed the 'Demon King of Salvation' had called while I was asleep.

"Dokja-ssi! Are you awake?"

A thud sounded from behind the door, and Jung Heewon's face peeked through. She shoved the Great Sage aside, entered the room, and seized my hand.

"Are you hurt? What the hell is this, really?"

I stared at Jung Heewon quietly. The scars on her face and her attire were strangely different from the Heewon I knew in the 41st round.

But the story I felt vibrating inside her was definitely the 'Light Sword Emperor' I knew.

"Heewon-ssi, did you really enter that body?"

"Yes, when I woke up, this was the state I was in."

Jung Heewon clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly, her expression one of disbelief.

"She really is a strong body. Unbelievably so."

I suppose so. Jung Heewon in the 1,864th round was the pinnacle of her potential.

"It's a shame I can't use stories or her skills. I'd like to try it out."

I smiled bitterly at her words.

The moment I possessed this worldline, I immediately realized what kind of place it was.

In this world, the power of the 'System' cannot be invoked.

Not stories, not stigma, not skills. The unique powers allowed by the <Star Stream> were strictly controlled here, just like the 'reality' we once knew.

"It's fortunate that we can't use them."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because if that were possible, we would be in real danger."

I vaguely recalled the fight between Asmodeus and the Great Sage just before I passed out.

Even in this world with its limited systems, Asmodeus could plot such a bold scheme. If the Great Sage's body hadn't been abnormally strong, I would have been dragged away without a fight.

"There are others besides us who know the coordinates of this worldline."

I recalled the information I'd heard from the Recorder of Fear, Hermit, in the 'Records Archives'.

He had provided those keywords regarding the worldline related to the third Kim Dokja. His keywords likely referred to this world.

The Emperor and the monkey represented the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal. The sword and shield referred to Heewon and Hyunsung.

Hermit had already implied that the coordinates of this place were known to a select few. That's right—

"I know that."

The Great Sage, who had been listening to my story, nodded.

"You're not the first to come here."

"Not the first time."

I wanted to ask if he knew anyone else who had visited, but my question remained unanswered. Another man appeared at the doorway, a puff of steam rising from his face.

"Are you awake?"

A polite yet profound voice.

I got goosebumps again.

Lee Hyunsung, the man I'd always admired from <Kim Dokja Company>, was right there.

He glanced at Jung Heewon, who was holding my hand with a somewhat dark expression, and placed a steaming bowl before me.

"I made some porridge."

"Oh, thank you."

"Eat it while it's still warm."

I hesitantly picked up my spoon. Come to think of it, I was quite hungry.

"Well... excuse me."

I took a small sip.

The hot rice melted in my mouth. It was delicious and perfectly seasoned porridge. It wasn't as exquisite as Yoo Joonghyuk's cooking, but it was a delicate dish that spoke of the chef's dedication.

The three of them watched me silently for a while as I ate. The Great Sage looked impressed, and Jung Heewon seemed relieved. Lee Hyunsung's face was strangely somber, yet his eyes shone with joy.

After I finished the bowl, Lee Hyunsung finally spoke.

"I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Yes."

"Are you from the worldline chosen by the other comrades?"

As expected, Hyunsung seemed to have already guessed my origin.

I nodded and answered.

"Yes."

"I see."

Lee Hyunsung asked again, his expression grave.

"Are they... well?"

For a moment, I didn't know how to respond. It seemed Hyunsung knew nothing of the group's fate in other worlds. Given the limited system here, this wasn't surprising.

"I don't know either. I've only seen them a few times."

"Is that so?"

Hyunsung's face darkened further. Seeing him like that was heartbreaking, and I wanted to say something—to write a single line of comfort, even if it was a lie.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"But those people."

I didn't know what had happened to the members of <Kim Dokja Company> in the eight years I was gone. But even without knowing, there were things I could say.

"They haven't given up."

That's something I knew without needing to ask.

"They still haven't given up on anything."

Lee Hyunsung slowly raised his head, his eyes strangely bloodshot.

He licked his lips several times, as if wanting to ask something else. But even with his large frame, he seemed to find the question difficult to voice.

After biting his lip for a long time, Hyunsung finally opened his mouth, seemingly determined.

Tsutsutsu.

With a faint spark, Jung Heewon, who had been sitting beside him, collapsed onto the bed.

"Heewon-ssi!"

Lee Hyunsung and I checked her pulse simultaneously. Her eyelids were trembling unsteadily. The Great Sage approached and quickly examined her complexion.

"It's a side effect of the 'broken film theory'."

I quickly understood the situation. Right now, the Jung Heewon from the 41st and 1,864th rounds were coexisting in that body.

"This can't last long."

When two essentially identical souls coexist in a single body, their memory films become hopelessly entangled.

"Both souls have too strong an ego. If this continues, the body will not be able to withstand the collision and will collapse."

If one soul could naturally merge with the other, it might be different, but in this situation, that wasn't happening.

Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal sighed deeply, looked at Jung Heewon, then back at me, and said in a grave voice,

"You must leave this world immediately."