990 Episode 59 What Kind of Ending (11)

The Spear that Draws the Boundary of the Seas—'Poseidon'.

I knew that name very well. In the main story, he was a myth-grade constellation who had fought against Hades. A star whose mere presence brought countless narrative-grade constellations to their knees.

He even appeared leading the <Olympus> warships during the Fear Realm.

The strange part was this.

"Why on earth is Poseidon here?"

The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal replied in a casual tone, as if it were nothing unusual.

"I told you before. There are others here besides you."

I had heard that story. But I never expected it to refer to that 'Poseidon'.

"He must've been possessed like you. But he was a bit unlucky."

"The Three Gods of Olympus possessed the Korean Marines?"

"Yes."

"No, shouldn't they have been more careful when choosing their host?"

"Did you possess your host on your own?"

"That's not true, but—"

Even so, if it was Poseidon, shouldn't he have possessed someone like the Chief of Naval Operations at least?

As if he had read my thoughts, Poseidon cleared his throat.

"Even so, he's the incarnation of a general."

Hearing Poseidon speak with such solemn pride made me even less convinced, but I still forced myself to nod and ask.

"What's with that leash?"

"I put it on him. You can tell he's here to cause trouble."

I had a rough idea of what had happened. The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal must've subdued Poseidon the moment he entered this world and locked him up inside this abandoned factory.

"Damn it! If you're going to lock me up, at least feed me properly!"

"I came here to feed you."

The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal grumbled and opened the supply closet near the entrance. Frozen groceries spilled out in a heap.

"Oh, did Hyunsung stock this yesterday?"

The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal whistled as he pulled out a large pile of frozen groceries and loaded them onto the cart beside him.

"Here, eat."

Poseidon stared suspiciously at the groceries. Then he picked up a large chunk of meat and asked,

"What's this?"

"Frozen pork belly. Aren't you lucky today?"

"Frozen... pork belly?"

Eyes widening, Poseidon picked up another package beside it and asked again,

"Then what's this?"

"Frozen chicken. The Marines have PXs, right?"

"Frozen... chicken?"

Does he like it? Is Poseidon seriously enjoying the Frozen series right now?

Jung Heewon whispered to me in disbelief.

"Is that really the 'Poseidon' I know?"

"I think so."

I couldn't believe it either, but the ripples of the story were definitely the same as the 'Poseidon' I remembered.

We held our breath and eavesdropped on the conversation between the great mythological constellations.

"Is the microwave still broken?"

"It breaks sometimes, but it's fine."

"Then take all of this and eat it today. It's a bit past the expiration date, but it'll be fine. You know the difference between the expiration date and the best-before date, right?"

"Of course! Hahaha!"

Everything the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal had brought was so-called 'waste' that was already a week past its expiration date. Apparently Lee Hyunsung had recently brought it.

But... this seemed like far too much for one person to eat.

"But what are you doing today? Is it some kind of special day?"

The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal shrugged and gently loosened the chain around Poseidon's neck.

"It'll be hard to eat with that on, so I'll unchain you. You can't run away, understand? If you leave the factory with that leash on—"

The moment he said that, Poseidon shoved the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal aside and bolted out of the factory. In the next instant, a powerful electric current shot from Poseidon's leash.

"It'll electrocute you."

The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal returned, dragging Poseidon back as he writhed on the floor.

I poked Poseidon's charred neck and asked,

"Is this the constellation that's going to help us?"

"Yes."

Jung Heewon, who was beside me poking Poseidon's thigh with the tip of her sword, said,

"No matter how I look at him, he doesn't seem like he'll be much help."

I agreed, but Poseidon was still a myth-grade constellation. Even though he had been overpowered by the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal, Poseidon might still possess some extraordinary ability. He's a Marine, so maybe he's a good shot... He is still a mythical being after all.

Then a sudden realization struck me that something was missing.

"Wait a moment, Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal."

The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal, who was pushing the cart and dragging Poseidon along, answered without turning around.

"What?"

"You said 'others' earlier, didn't you?"

The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal had definitely said this.

'Others' who had already arrived.

According to the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal's explanation, 'Poseidon' wasn't the only one who had arrived before us.

"Could it be that he's not the only one?"

At that moment, a piece of information flashed through my mind.

Was it when I was talking with the Recorders, or when I was wandering through the 'New Murim District'? I was certain I had heard something like that before.

Even putting the 'Great Destruction Scenario', 'Ragnarok', aside, the constellations had been worried about something.

Instead of answering, the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal simply continued pushing the cart forward. As he reached the inner gate of the factory, a commotion could be heard from somewhere inside. The door creaked open, and the people sitting inside all turned to look at him at the same time.

I took a quick tour of the abandoned factory with the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal. Small smart-farm facilities were installed throughout the factory, though they seemed to have stopped operating at some point. I was somewhat impressed by how well-maintained everything was, so I asked.

"Are you farming here?"

"I suppose you could call it that."

Vegetables like lettuce and butterhead lettuce were growing. Fruits like strawberries could also be seen here and there.

The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal muttered while checking the condition of the vegetables and fruits.

"It's annoying considering the purpose, but I can't just let them starve to death. Honestly, I don't think the youngest would want that either. And it might be useful someday."

This wasn't some kind of 'Farming Scenario'. It was a group of myth-grade constellations gathered together to run a smart farm. If I went back and told Kim Anna about this, she'd definitely think I was lying again.

"What's that?"

"Oh, that."

A basket filled with wooden sculptures created by skilled hands was piled high. Some looked like Thor, while others looked like the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal.

The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal examined one of the sculptures of himself and spoke.

"Some of them have absolutely no talent for farming. They have to earn money some other way."

"Are you selling these?"

"Do you think they wouldn't sell?"

"No, I think there would be demand…"

"Right? Originally I was planning to have Heewon post them on social media next month and promote them—"

"So you weren't unemployed?"

The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal pursed his lips as if wronged.

"I'm not that guy in black, so how could I be unemployed?"

The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal, once a stable keeper in the heavens, had now become a guard watching over the star prison in this world. Though... was 'guard' really the right word? Come to think of it, I wasn't sure what job title would fit.

"Businessman."

While we were touring the abandoned factory, Poseidon, who had fainted earlier, woke up and was chatting with the other prisoners.

"Look! The monkey gave me this today!"

"Oh—"

"It's frozen pork belly!"

Exclamations erupted from all around. Most of them were elderly men.

Surely they weren't all myth-grade constellations, were they? The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal, who had been watching them from afar, muttered quietly.

"I don't know if you recognize him, but the guy in the corner is Odin."

Odin? Odin, the 'One-Eyed Father', the ruler of Asgard?

I turned my head toward where the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal was pointing. In front of an old stove in the corner sat an old man wearing small glasses. He was hunched over, completely absorbed in something. Looking closer, he was carving wood.

Were those carvings Odin's work?

"Hey, Odin. It's time to eat."

Poseidon approached him, and Odin raised his head with an annoyed expression.

"Don't call me by that name."

"If I don't call you Odin, what else should I call you?"

"M-My name is Oh Jintaek."

As if struggling to remember, Odin answered with a slurred voice. Poseidon immediately snapped back, "You damned idiot, are you already losing your mind? You're a myth-grade constellation! You're Odin, the king of Asgard!"

Despite Poseidon's shouting, Odin simply shook his head and returned to carving the wood.

Poseidon then pulled out something like a recorder from his pocket and pointed it toward us.

"Don't you see the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal over there? Have you really forgotten everything? He trapped us, myth-grade constellations, in this place!"

Odin turned his empty gaze toward me. He looked at the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal, then at me standing beside him, and slowly shook his head again.

"There's no such thing as the <Star Stream>."

It was truly a strange conversation, unlike anything that had ever happened in the <Star Stream>.

Perhaps noticing my gaze, the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal cleared his throat and added, "Even if they look like that, a myth is still a myth. It's because I'm using this body that I was able to easily subdue them and keep them in check."

I nodded.

Even if they would die soon, a myth was still a myth. If I could just get their help, confronting the threats of this world wouldn't be impossible.

"Let go! You damned bastard!"

"You old man!"

The problem was how to control that chaotic group.

"Old men, stop fighting and gather together!"

At that moment, a middle-aged man suddenly shouted.

"It's time for the story reading!"

At those words, the constellations that had been arguing immediately fell silent.

Poseidon, who had been clutching the frozen pork belly, and Odin, who had been carving beside the stove, both stood up and walked somewhere.

The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal, Jung Heewon, and I followed them.

The constellations gathered inside a small dining hall on one side of the factory. A middle-aged man standing in the center of the room was speaking energetically.

I asked,

"Who is that?"

"Um, he's the most recently captured one."

Strangely, unlike the other constellations, the middle-aged man wasn't wearing a leash.

"He's not a constellation. He's only here temporarily. I gave him a management role. He doesn't look like he'd try to run away, and he doesn't seem dangerous."

He's not a constellation, yet he came here from another worldline?

"All the constellations here seem to enjoy the stories he tells."

Judging by his expression, the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal also seemed to like the middle-aged man.

After briefly surveying the constellations, the middle-aged man spoke in a gentle voice.

"Yes, constellations. What kind of story would you like to hear today?"

Strangely, the middle-aged man's voice sounded familiar. The constellations gathered in the dining hall raised their hands like children and shouted.

"<Olympus>! I want to hear the myths of <Olympus>!"

"No, tell us a story from <Veda>!"

"What an old-fashioned choice! As expected, <Asgard> is the best!"

Just as the room grew noisy again, Poseidon suddenly pulled out his recorder and slammed the table, saying,

"I want to hear that story you told me before again!"

At Poseidon's words, the constellations exchanged glances.

"If it's that story…"

"Well, I wouldn't mind hearing it again."

"What? What's it about?"

After calming the noisy room, the middle-aged man spoke again.

"Alright. Then today, I'll tell that story from last time again."

"Since some of you are hearing it for the first time, let's start from the beginning."

"Yes, I understand."

The middle-aged man cleared his throat and looked at the constellations with gentle eyes. Everyone was waiting eagerly for his story.

"This story."

And in the next moment, I realized who the middle-aged man was. His beard was thicker than I remembered, and his face was smeared with soup because he hadn't washed in a while, but it was still unmistakable. Because the story he had just begun—

"It's the story of the day I first met 'Kim Dokja' at Geumho Station."

It was a story I knew very well.