Story 2 — Someone Who Remembers You

This story is for you who have nothing more to read at the end of the world.

One year and 364 days ago.

On the day you were not with us, something strange happened in Seoul.

Seoul, which had been designated as a scenario closed space, was reopened, and an area with a castle larger than Yeouido appeared in the place where the original Gwanghwamun was.

The 73rd Demon Realm.

People still call the land like that. Even though the Demon King is no longer there, they still imagine that he is here.

―Recover Seoul from the Demon King who colluded with the dokkaebi!

Someone called you the devil.

―In honor of the savior who saved the Korean Peninsula.

Someone admires you as a savior.

But to some people, you were neither a savior nor a Demon King.

But, they remembered you.

“How old am I now?”

Lee Jihye muttered as she looked up at the sky where the rain was pouring down.

“How old are you, Yoosung-i?”

Shin Yoosung looked at the sea off Haeundae, where a wet wind was blowing.

"I don't know. But one thing is for sure, I’m two years older.”

The two girls looked at the sea and fell into long contemplation.

If you think about someone too long, everything in the world looks like a trace of that person.

“Have you not contacted the Constellations?”

"No. How about you?”

"No."

Seagulls passing by, seashells lying on the beach, and even a cuttlefish sea creature washed up in the foam. A small marine species that had lost several legs was flapping along the shore, breathing heavily.

Grade 9 marine species: Little Cuttlefish.

Shin Yoosung, who reached out to the creature, used [Advanced Multi-species Communion] to establish a rapport, and then completed the taming with [Tame]. The creature quickly clung to Shin Yoosung's palm and wrapped around her leg.

"That's not Ahjussi."

Since you had already disappeared and returned twice, the company still believed that you might come back as if nothing had happened.

“So what? He was here, and I saw it.”

“Then I am going to collect all the monsters I see.”

The man who raised a "calamity".

Shin Yoosung thought about you. She thought again and again about the first time she met you.

“Oh, I got a call from Sangah yesterday.”

“Oh, me too.”

“Are you going?”

"Yes."

A swarm of insects flew in from afar with a rumbling sound.

The boy who followed you like a god was riding a huge golden scarab and posing like a Greek hero.

Shin Yoosung, who was looking up at the boy, asked,

“Where did you get that again?”

“Isn’t it cool?”

Lee Gilyoung smiled triumphantly, stroking the beetle's horn.

“I evolved it with the factors I got this time. ‘The Horn of Unbreakable Faith’.”

Lee Jihye clicked her tongue. Shin Yoosung asked, narrowing her eyes,

"That's not the original name. Did you name it that?"

“What is that squid?”

“Tentacle calamity Kim Dokja.”

“Where did you get that monster?”

Lee Jihye, who had been listening to the conversation from afar, lay down on the shore with an expression of 'here they go again.'

She saw something like a shooting star falling in the distance.

Since meteorites had often fallen since the fifth scenario, Lee Jihye didn't care much. Given its size, it didn't seem to contain any great items, and even if it housed a monster species, it wouldn't be a big deal.

After you disappeared, the incarnations of the Korean Peninsula became quite strong. Now, even civilian incarnations could overcome most sub-scenarios if they joined forces.

So, if you leave it alone, someone will figure it out.

For today, even Lee Jihye was tired of fighting, and preferred to watch the kids bicker.

Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung took smartphone-like devices out of their pockets, arguing.

“Hey, Shin Yoosung. What level are you?”

"37."

"I'm 38."

"Actually, it's 39."

“Oh, I leveled up on the way. I am 40.”

It was pretty obvious what they were playing.

They were playing the new game, *King of the Monster Collectors*.

*King of the Monster Collectors* was a game created by the 'Mass Production Maker'. It was a real-time collection RPG where players raised their levels by registering various monsters in an encyclopedia.

Interestingly, you could only register information on monsters you had actually encountered. If your completion rate reached a certain level, you could receive a reward from a constellation.

[You have already collected 150 species! Well done.]

Your voice shyly gave compliments, matching the image of the white coat you wore every day.

Shin Yoosung, who was staring at you in the game, spoke in a sharp tone.

"It's different from his voice."

“Who did the dubbing?”

"I don't know."

Anyway, the sales of this weird game made by the constellation were better than expected, so the coin flow into the industrial complex was quite good. If the citizens didn't starve while you were away, it might have been thanks to that silly game.

The children who were quarreling with each other laid side by side with Lee Jihye, looking up at the sky.

To be precise, most of them were looking up at the stars.

It was a habit the children had developed after you disappeared—looking up at the sky whenever they could and counting the stars. Searching for a star whose light was so dazzling that it was hard to see.

"It's falling a lot today."

Something that is not found in the sky.

"Right."

Only then did Lee Jihye realize that something was wrong.

Falling meteorites were a common occurrence, but this time there were a few more.

Especially that black meteorite.

“Is this your first time seeing that color?”

Lee Jihye remembered the story you had told her a long time ago.

There are various meteorites in this world. Some have items inside them, while others contain monster species.

And... what was the black meteorite?

The meteorite drew a long tail and moved away quickly.

"Seoul... no, Gyeonggi Province."

She had a bad feeling.

As Lee Jihye and Shin Yoosung bolted upright, Lee Gilyoung summoned three giant scarabs as if he had been waiting.

"Let's go."

After you disappeared, some people became quite sensitive.

Of course, they had been sensitive before, but they became even more so.

Gong Pildu, who had just finished off a hamburger, put on a thick newsboy cap. The woman sitting across from him asked,

“Is there any hair loss medicine in the dokkaebi’s bundle?”

Gong Pildu was startled, but he tried to answer calmly.

“There are, but they are too expensive. And you have to keep taking it.”

“Rumor has it that Jecheon Daeseong-nim also suffers from hair loss.”

“Are you trying to pick a fight?”

The woman smiled brightly. To borrow your words, she was a woman who felt like 'the protagonist of a novel.' She was popular wherever she went, and people naturally followed her.

I don't know about other areas, but people in Seoul call her the Moon Goddess.

Such a weird nickname... it must have been given by constellations obsessed with Murim.

“Are you not coming back to the industrial complex?”

“Hey, what would I even do there? I'm sure I'd just be made a gatekeeper again anyway.”

“It’s our second anniversary soon. We decided to gather every year. He might really come back this time.”

Gong Pildu was silent for a moment.

“Do you really think he will come back?”

“He will be back.”

"He didn't come back last year, did he?"

“We don’t know about this year.”

“Let’s get up.”

Gong Pildu, approaching the counter, looked at the owner of the hamburger shop and asked,

“Is business going well?”

“Business is better than ever. All the other stores are out of business. You can pay in coins. Please give me ten coins, in particular.”

Gong Pildu paid without saying anything. He was grateful just to be able to eat a hamburger in this day and age.

The name of the shop was 'Supreme King Hamburger.' It was the only restaurant open in the area.

After staring at the name of the store for a while, Gong Pildu complained to the owner.

“What does 'Supreme King Hamburger' even mean? The king of burgers?”

“He is the most popular incarnation in Korea.”

“You should have named it 'Bald-Headed Burger'.”

The boss, who smiled modestly, looked at Yoo Sangah.

“Miss Yoo Sangah, we're launching a set menu next month. Can we use your name for it?”

"Of course."

"Thank you!"

The owner bowed his head to see them off.

Gong Pildu licked his lips and came out.

“Did he get your permission for the menu?”

“It didn’t taste that good.”

The two walked and exchanged casual banter. In the past, they enjoyed this, but now, it felt hollow because the past was gone.

"It's the first time since then that we've talked for this long."

He didn't specify when, but it was clear what Gong Pildu was reminiscing about. The days they had spent together were still vivid in their memories.

Back then, Yoo Sangah had been weak and Gong Pildu had been hostile. Yet, the two enemies had joined forces to fight the apostles, defeat monsters, and protect Chungmuro.

Just because time had passed didn't mean they could look back on those days as 'enjoyable.' Still, one thing was certain.

Gong Pildu and Yoo Sangah had become colleagues.

"That's when I met that guy."

There was a statue of you where Gong Pildu's gaze fell.

The Demon King of the 73rd Demon Realm, holding 'Unbreakable Faith' in one hand.

There are statues of you everywhere these days. Often, a strange laurel crown is placed on them, and they are frequently vandalized by those who hate you, but fortunately, the statue here was intact.

But Gong Pildu didn't seem to like how decent you looked in stone.

“No matter how you look at it, they made a mistake. The guy wasn't nearly this handsome.”

“It looks fine to me.”

“You don’t have an eye for men.”

Yoo Sangah smiled quietly. From a distance, she saw the 'S-Class Ferraghini' that she had once ridden in.

"Anyway, you're coming to the second anniversary, right?"

“Why would I go anywhere? I'm going to live here. I even bought the land.”

“The land here?”

Yoo Sangah looked back at the street as if it was new.

A street swept away by monsters. The word 'Seongnam' was written on the broken sign.

Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Come to think of it, this place was once called that.

Gong Pildu looked back at the ruined city and said proudly,

“It hasn't been restored yet, but it'll be a major city soon. More and more incarnations are migrating here. Above all, with my [Armed Fortress], we can handle any siege.”

“You speak like a retired father who returned to farming.”

"Do I look like that?"

"No."

Yoo Sangah smiled at the bewildered Gong Pildu.

Perhaps this was the new Chungmuro for the landowner Gong Pildu.

It wasn't Seoul, but it was the closest metropolitan area to Seoul.

This position Gong Pildu chose may be the distance between Gong Pildu and others.

“You must be healthy.”

"Okay. Next time you come to visit—"

It was then that Gong Pildu's complexion changed. He felt the magical energy around them distort, followed by a warning from a constellation in the air.

Gong Pildu's fortress deployed in an instant to protect them both.

But the timing was a bit late.

Along with a terrifying explosion, a merciless aftershock swept across the area.

The fortress wall, pierced by flying debris, collapsed. It was unbelievable. No matter how hastily deployed, Gong Pildu's fortress was supposed to be unmatched in defensive power.

"Pildu!"

Yoo Sangah pulled Gong Pildu behind nearby cover and extracted the shards embedded in his body. It took her less than three minutes to apply the first-aid treatment she had received from Lee Seolhwa and use [Arachne's Web] to seal his wounds.

Taking a breath, Yoo Sangah examined a fragment that emitted a strange magical aura.

Yoo Sangah had seen a magical wave similar to this before.

Yoo Sangah's expression hardened, and she immediately stood up.

“Stay here.”

“Don’t go. Don't move alone.”

Gong Pildu instinctively stretched out his hand.

Yoo Sangah looked down at Gong Pildu for a moment.

Yoo Sangah knew why Gong Pildu was talking like that.

However, Yoo Sangah is someone who remembers you.

"It's okay. I'll be back soon."

Yoo Sangah, smiling brightly, headed for the explosion with quick steps.

It wasn't difficult to locate the source. A black hemisphere with a radius of 500 meters was centered around the impact point.

The way it was constructed...

It was the same dome in which Seoul was closed.

Yoo Sangah confirmed the ominous magic rising from the top of the hemisphere. Looking closely, she could feel the power of a giant story between the spells.

Yoo Sangah took a deep breath and reached her hand toward the barrier without hesitation, when...

“Weren't you told not to act like Kim Dokja?”

Someone grabbed Yoo Sangah's wrist.

Yoo Sangah, who knew the owner of the hand, asked with a light smile,

“What 'Kim Dokja behavior'?”

“No playing the hero, please.”

Yoo Sangah, looking back with calm eyes, slowly blinked and replied,

“You're one to talk.”

Han Sooyoung stood there with a displeased expression.

Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah analyzed the shape and material of the hemisphere. From the sensitivity and intensity of the magic wave to its opacity.

Even though they had finished analyzing the barrier, the rest of the company still hadn't arrived. It was strange. Usually, Yoo Joonghyuk would be the first to show up.

“The material is almost the same as the dome that closed Seoul.”

“Do you know why it appeared?”

“I think a meteorite fell.”

“I wonder if that was the sound of a meteorite?”

Han Sooyoung had also come to hear the roar. There were also reports of a black meteorite appearing.

Han Sooyoung put her hand on the hemisphere.

“It’s also a scenario.”

5 minutes.

A few incarnations had gathered around.

Yoo Sangah, who was searching for information through her connection with the nebula, said,

“Most of the black meteorites are summon stones.”

In other words, the event had been triggered by someone nearby.

Han Sooyoung thought of the prophets who might be scurrying around like rats, but no specific name came to mind.

“Are there any guys left who can summon something like this?”

“As far as I know, no.”

"What about the Association? Do we have jurisdiction?"

“I contacted the president of the Association, but he isn't answering.”

“I told you. We should have beaten up Cho Jinchul a long time ago.”

Perhaps because it was the first major event in a long time, messages from constellations monitoring the area began to flash.

Han Sooyoung looked up at the top of the dome. A haze was constantly rising from the peak. It looked dangerous—a place she would never enter under normal circumstances.

Han Sooyoung looked at Yoo Sangah. The moment their eyes met, they knew. Both were thinking the same thing.

“It is similar to the magic wave I saw then. And those stories.”

The Indescribable Distance.

The final day of the 73rd Demon Realm when the 'Nameless Mist' appeared. The day the stars fled and only one constellation stood to block the disaster.

The two of them felt a magical energy similar to the haze before them.

It was a moment they never wanted to experience again. If such a disaster struck, no one could protect the Korean Peninsula.

However.

Han Sooyoung was thinking. Maybe this is an opportunity.

“He must have made a deal with one of the ‘outer gods’.”

As expected, the quick-witted Yoo Sangah was thinking the same thing.

“I guess so.”

“The one that appeared inside is one of those ‘outer gods’.”

"Right."

Who knows? Maybe the entity inside knew about the missing Kim Dokja. It might know why he had vanished from the world, or how to bring him back.

Given the strict limit on entries, it was clear the rewards would be substantial. And it was related to the outer gods.

There was no point in further worrying.

“Let’s go at the same time.”

"Great."

“Aren't we acting like Kim Dokja?”

Han Sooyoung thought for a while before answering.

“In a sense.”

The two entered the scenario at the same time.

And thirty minutes later, a woman who had sworn to cut you in half with the sword you gave her when you returned arrived at the scene.

"You two, seriously..."

Jung Heewon struck the opaque dome several times with her sword and let out a deep sigh. The man beside her tried to comfort her.

“Still, isn't it reassuring that they went in together as comrades?”

“Do they look like comrades to you?”

“Come to think of it, has Uriel contacted you yet?”

“I think something is wrong with Eden.”

After you vanished, Jung Heewon had lost contact with Uriel.

In other words, if a large-scale scenario occurred in Seongnam, she would have to fight without the help of a sponsor. In preparation for such a situation, she had received guidance from the Transcendents, but it was still not a situation where she could feel safe.

A large scarab flew in with a hissing sound in the distance.

“Heewon-onni!”

“Oh, are you here?”

Lee Jihye, Lee Gilyoung, and Shin Yoosung. The members of Kim Dokja's Company had gathered after a long time.

As Lee Hyunsung flexed his massive biceps, Lee Gilyoung threw a light punch at them. It seemed to be their unique greeting. Once finished, they both pulled out their phones and opened *King of the Monster Collectors*.

“Hyung, how much of your encyclopedia is filled?”

“About twenty species. How about you?”

“I have 150.”

“Wow. Can you show me?”

Jung Heewon whispered to Lee Jihye,

"It's the first time I've seen them talk."

“Since Kim Dokja left, we've grown distant. It feels lonely. By the way, is Master not here yet?”

"I don't know. I thought he would be there, but he wasn't."

A rattling sound echoed. Thinking it was her master, Lee Jihye turned, only to see Lee Seolhwa pushing a wheelchair. A bald head peeked out from the chair, looking like a baby in a stroller without his usual hat.

Lee Jihye smirked.

“Oh, did you get a hole in your stomach, Ahjussi?”

“Shut up.”

“Who did that to you? I'll avenge you.”

“I just got clipped by a meteorite fragment.”

Gong Pildu took the fragment from his chest.

A fragment of an unsettling demon.

Lee Jihye opened her eyes wide.

"What is this?"

Lee Seolhwa said, looking at the fragment,

“I analyzed the residue earlier. It contains stories from the outer world.”

"The outer world?"

For a moment, a cold silence fell.

The party looked back to the hemisphere at the same time.

Lee Jihye asked first,

“What about Sangah and Sooyoung?”

"They entered first."

"No... why..."

The faces of the group darkened.

No one in the group was ignorant of the terror of the outer gods. They had already faced them twice.

The first was the 'Eater of Dreams' in Dark Castle, and the second was the 'Indescribable Distance' in the industrial complex.

They had managed the first somehow thanks to you and Yoo Joonghyuk, but the second couldn't even be called a fight. How could they say they 'fought' a disaster that forced even the constellations to flee the channel?

“Could that 'mist' be back?”

Shin Yoosung's voice trembled with anxiety.

The mist of death that had taken you from them.

A cataclysm that consumed entire worlds: the Indescribable Distance.

Jung Heewon spoke in a gentle voice to reassure the child.

“It won’t be that god. The atmosphere is a bit different.”

Lee Hyunsung also nodded in agreement.

They didn't know it yet, but whatever was inside the dome wasn't the Indescribable Distance. However, it was definitely related to the outer gods.

Jung Heewon, thinking about something, shook her head.

“I think I know why the two entered first.”

"Why?"

Lee Jihye asked, but no one answered.

Everyone in the party was lost in their own thoughts in silence. Everyone seemed to realize something.

Except for Lee Jihye.

"What? What? Let me know too!”

Shin Yoosung raised her head and asked Jung Heewon,

"Are you going to enter right now?"

“Ideally, I'd like to wait for Yoo Joonghyuk, but we should head in immediately. The enemy won't wait for us.”

If the outer god did not descend properly, there was a good chance of winning.

“We can't get in. There's a queue.”

The one who poured cold water on the atmosphere was Lee Gilyoung, who had been pounding on the dome since earlier.

“There's still a queue.”

“Queue?”

When Lee Gilyoung pressed the dome hard, a message came to mind with a sparks.

“Is there any way to break it?”

“Go, Horn of Unbreakable Faith!”

A gigantic scarab that flashed behind Lee Gilyoung rammed the outer wall of the dome with its golden horn.

*Boom! Boom!*

Lee Hyunsung activated [Great Mountain Push] and Shin Yoosung ordered the Chimera Dragon to fire a breath, but the barrier remained unscathed.

Lee Jihye, who was wielding a sword, grumbled.

“It's hard to summon the fleet here... and Heewon-unni hasn't fully recovered her strength yet, right?”

The most destructive skill they had was Jung Heewon's [Hellfire]. However, without Uriel's sponsorship, her stigma couldn't be fully unleashed.

“Damn it, where is Master when we need him? What about Kyrgios-nim?”

“He went to train with Jang Hayoung.”

“What about the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint?”

“This isn't a high-level scenario area, so she can't interfere. She already used too much probability to help us back then.”

In the end, there was nowhere to turn for help. They didn't know if a miracle would happen and a large number of constellations would appear to lend probability, but...

Of course, they didn't have the guts to help.

Shin Yoosung muttered as she looked up at the sky where the dark clouds were creeping in.

“It’s time for him to come out soon.”

As if waiting, a message came through the air.

The audio feedback of a test broadcast echoed. The group sighed.

Jung Heewon shook her head.

“Again, that repertoire. Is there a manual somewhere?”

“It definitely seems like an intro based on the manual.”

“Even the games made by the Mass Production Maker are better than this.”

“I don’t think the scenario was intended by the dokkaebi, but what happened?”

When they heard the voice, it wasn't Bihyung, nor was it Biyoo. Biyoo couldn't even speak beyond 'Baaat' yet.

Where did the new dokkaebi come from?

The dokkaebi was slightly taken aback by the company's sullen reaction, but somehow continued to speak.

The incarnations who noticed the abnormal situation in Seongnam City had already gathered around the dome.

The incarnations who read the message grumbled.

“So if you can’t go in, you won’t be able to participate.”

“Are you asking people outside to just watch?”

Then the dokkaebi smiled.

“A constellation? What does that mean?"

Even while listening to the dokkaebi's long nonsense, the company did not appear to be very nervous.

Looking at past scenarios, it was rare for a sub-scenario's difficulty to be abnormally high. Almost all the catastrophic scenarios they had faced were main scenarios.

It should have been.

“Does this make sense? Is this a sub-scenario?”

Lee Jihye raised her voice, saying it was absurd. Other members of the company had similar expressions.

No matter how weak a deity from the outer world was, it still possessed divinity.

Outer gods from another universe that even constellations feared.

If such an existence descended on the metropolitan area, the entire Korean Peninsula could be annihilated.

After a while, the incarnations in the closed area began to appear on the screen.

Lee Jihye, who was looking at the screen with anxious eyes, bit her nails and asked,

“What did Ahjussi tell us to do in a situation like this?”

Jung Heewon licked her lips and murmured,

"Well, if he were here..."

“Wow, that’s crazy.”

Han Sooyoung, who received the sub-scenario, opened her mouth.

“Now you are telling me openly. ‘Here is the deity of the other world’.”

“You came in knowing this.”

“If you were really sure that was the case, would you have come in alone?”

Looking at the messages that popped up one after another, Han Sooyoung clicked her tongue.

“It sucks.”

“Try using [Avatar].”

"I already am."

Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah were approaching the epicenter, taking cover behind large and small buildings. The concentration of magical power increased as they entered the central area of the closed zone. On the way, they found several fallen incarnations, all dead.

“There it is.”

After about ten minutes, the impact site appeared. Judging from the meteorite fragments in the vicinity, there was no doubt that the main meteorite had fallen nearby.

“The avatars I sent earlier were killed around here.”

Cries could be heard from between the ruined buildings.

Yoo Sangah and Han Sooyoung looked at the scenery in front of them while holding their breath.

Fifty meters ahead, groans echoed from a half-destroyed church. Erosion had already begun, the outer walls covered in bizarre, writhing vines.

After a while, monsters broke through the floor and emerged.

Their appearance was too deformed to be a normal monster species.

A monster shaped like a lion, with clusters of tentacles instead of a mane.

Undoubtedly, it was a fragment of an outer god.

However, Yoo Sangah's complexion was not that bad.

“I think it will be fine.”

"What's the basis for this?"

“I saw it through the [Hermes Network].”

“Did you use that stigma again?”

“Outer gods are terrifying, but they aren't all fully formed. Those aren't outer gods themselves, but merely fragments. Tiny fragments.”

Certainly, if it were not the main body of an outer god, they could fight. They had already faced outer gods twice, after all.

"Still, it's probably a 4th or 5th class monster."

“There are some guys who look like they are in the 2nd or 3rd grade. Let's go.”

Having found the source, there was no longer any hesitation. The two jumped from the building's outer wall at the same time.

*Roar!*

The monsters that discovered the two threw their heads back and cried out in unison.

About ten entities could be seen in front.

The [Black Flame] rising from Han Sooyoung's fist crushed the first monster that charged.

Han Sooyoung's black flames formed a unique pattern, taking the shape of knuckles on her fists. Her rapid punches smashed into the monsters' faces. Imbued with the power of her stories, the punches were devastating, sending the monsters collapsing to the ground with shrieks of pain.

Subsequently, [Arachne's Web] deployed by Yoo Sangah bound the feet of the creatures in front.

Then, two threads extended from her hands and severed the heads of the bound monsters. Black blood sprayed into the air with a hissing sound.

Han Sooyoung applauded.

“Oh, that’s scary.”

“You've acquired a strange story.”

Suddenly, the only target left was a monster the size of a house.

Tentacles protruding from the monster's mane flew like whips, tearing the ground apart.

An ominous story of another world was contained in each tentacle. It was the same power that had pierced Gong Pildu's stomach.

"I'll lure it in, so let's finish it off."

"I see."

Han Sooyoung ran up the outer wall of the building on the right.

*Crash!*

The tentacles collapsed the lower part of the building and chased after her in an instant.

Using the destructive power of [Black Flame], Han Sooyoung pierced a hole in the side of the building and climbed up in a spiral. The tentacles followed her by a narrow margin.

After running around several buildings, the length of the tentacles reached their limit. The moment the monster tried to retrieve the tentacles, Yoo Sangah cut off their lower ends.

But the initial web had only been bait.

Another layer of [Arachne's Web] flew in, binding the beast's limbs. Of course, given its massive size, webs alone couldn't neutralize it entirely.

“Haah!”

Dropping from the air, Han Sooyoung drove her fist straight into the head of the cocooned monster. [Black Flame] erupted like a vortex with a thunderous boom, incinerating the beast.

During the time you were gone, no one sat idle. They relived the day they lost you over and over.

If only they had been stronger back then, if only they had possessed greater stories.

They tried hard not to repeat the same mistake twice.

When Han Sooyoung blew on her fists to extinguish her [Black Flame], Yoo Sangah said with a faint smile,

“It reminds me of the old days.”

It was rare for the two of them to fight side-by-side like this, making them recall the same memories simultaneously.

Back when you were still in Seoul during the fifth scenario.

“We didn’t get along very well back then.”

"And we do now?"

"At least we aren't trying to kill each other."

Seeing Yoo Sangah smile so warmly, Han Sooyoung rubbed her own neck with a grimace.

"Anyway, I'm tired of that bastard's curses."

“Who was the curse from back then?”

“Andras. Of course, I got caught up in Kim Dokja's scheme...”

That had happened while she was dealing with Song Minwoo on Kim Dokja's behalf. Han Sooyoung ground her teeth, swallowing the rest of the sentence.

“Seeing as you haven’t had any problems after that, it must not have been a great curse.”

“Anything would be better than the curse of the ‘Demon King of Salvation’.”

Han Sooyoung said while collecting the items dropped by the creatures. Still, they were quite strong, so there were many useful items. Some of them looked like fragments of stories.

At first, she thought she was seeing things. Han Sooyoung eyed the story fragment warily, deliberately picking up other items around it first. Yoo Sangah watched her quietly and asked,

"Are you going to take it?"

"Well… no."

"Then I'll take it."

The moment Yoo Sangah stretched out her hand toward the fragment of the story, Han Sooyoung grabbed her hand.

“I've changed my mind. I'll take it.”

A silent war of nerves flared between them.

The moment their fingers brushed the fragment, your bewildered face flashed in their minds.

This convinced them both.

This was either a memory of you, or a memory that belonged to you. They didn't know why it was here, but it was undeniable.

“I really need this.”

"Okay? What are you going to do with it?"

Han Sooyoung thought fast and spoke.

“I'll keep it to threaten him later. I feel like I can extract a lot from him with this.”

"I can't give it to you if you have such impure intentions."

"And what do you need the fragment for?"

“It could be a precious memory for Dokja. We should keep it and return it to him.”

“It might not be a big memory, right?”

“Then I'll just keep it.”

“Hey.”

It was then that a tentacle crawled out of nowhere and shot forward. Surprised, Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah simultaneously drew their weapons.

However, the tentacles were not aimed at them.

"Uh?"

The shards of stories snatched by the tentacles quickly retreated toward the church.

After a moment, the church's walls shuddered like the organs of a beast, emitting a sickening groan.

Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah exchanged a brief look, then kicked open the main doors of the church in unison.

As expected, the interior of the church was being eroded by the outer god. The landscape looked like the insides of a bizarre creature.

“W-Who are you?”

There was still a living person in the lobby. It was a middle-aged man dressed like a cult member.

A normal human being inside a monster's intestines was suspicious to anyone.

“What is this? Where is the fragment of Kim Dokja?”

The man took four or five steps back in terror, but he couldn't match Han Sooyoung's speed. When she approached him in an instant and grabbed him by the collar, he recognized her.

“Huh? The Black Flame Empress?”

"That's my nickname. Where is the fragment of Kim Dokja?”

The middle-aged man's body shook helplessly under Han Sooyoung's threat. But his terrified face gradually twisted into a cruel smile.

“You are finished now. Even if the proud ‘Demon King of Salvation’ returns, this advent cannot be stopped.”

"He rises again!”

Han Sooyoung slapped the middle-aged man across the face with all her might. The man collapsed to the floor with a pathetic groan.

“Who is he?”

“Geuh uh uh...”

“Hey, idiot. Who are you talking about?”

“Gaaaaa!”

Tears welled in the man's eyes as she grabbed him by the hair. It wasn't a normal slap; it was one packed with the heat of her [Black Flame]. Unable to bear the pain, the man whined,

“You, Nirvana… … .”

"Nirvana?"

Han Sooyoung remembered that name. She couldn't forget the hardship he had caused when he occupied Seoul while they were in Peace Land.

Yoo Sangah had almost been brainwashed by him. Even the monstrous Yoo Joonghyuk had been pushed to his limits back then. Of course, that was in the past.

“Nirvana was killed by Kim Dokja. Why are you doing this when the Salvation Association is ruined?”

“If it weren't for him...”

“It pisses me off just thinking about it. Why do you idiots keep inviting disaster when carrying out the scenarios is hard enough? Do you think this is a joke? Do you enjoy seeing monsters? Have you survived this far without learning anything? You were saved by Kim Dokja from the brink of death multiple times—”

“Who... asked him for help?”

"What?"

The man's bloody eyes burned with rage.

The moment she looked into those eyes, Han Sooyoung realized something.

The man's voice became clear.

“I hate the 'Demon King of Salvation.' Everyone here hates that bastard.”

Everyone here.

At those words, Han Sooyoung sent a signal to Yoo Sangah. Taking out her dagger, Yoo Sangah headed for the chapel of the church. The man followed her with a fishy smile.

“We lost our families because of him! I lost my comrades! If it weren't for the Demon King of Salvation, if only he hadn't existed—”

Of course, it wasn't because of you that they lost their families.

However, Han Sooyoung didn't bother arguing. Deep down, the man probably knew the truth.

They just needed a target to vent their anger. In your absence, you were the perfect scapegoat.

Han Sooyoung let out a sigh and let go of the man's hair.

“Kim Dokja couldn't save everyone. So what? Did Nirvana save you? Nirvana was just another pawn in the scenarios. What do you think will change by clinging to his ghost?”

“L-Lord Nirvana always said... there are beings far greater than the stars. If we borrow their power, we can escape the scenarios.”

How to escape the scenarios.

It was only then that Han Sooyoung understood their purpose.

“So you summoned the outer god?”

“Kuh, keuh…”

"There's no way the summoning could have been successful with your strength alone. Who helped you?”

The man's lips quivered, and his eyes slowly rolled back.

Surprised, the moment Han Sooyoung activated [Black Flame], tentacles flew from somewhere and wrapped around the middle-aged man's body.

"What—"

Yoo Sangah's voice came from the chapel.

"This way!"

Han Sooyoung ran toward the voice.

It was the main chapel, the largest area in the church.

"What is this?"

The chapel floor was lined with coffins covered in grotesque tissue. Incarnations lay inside them, still alive judging by their groans. Their eyes rolled back as sucker-like tentacles clung to their temples.

“What kind of crazy bastard does this—”

Han Sooyoung drew her dagger. The incarnations were still breathing, so if they severed the tentacles now...

"Wait!"

Yoo Sangah pointed to the system message in front of her.

Reading the notification, Han Sooyoung grimaced. She had cleared countless scenarios, but none had such a cruel condition.

In this state, saving one person meant condemning another. If no replacement was provided, the saved person would die anyway.

“Damn it. What should we do?”

Then, a voice came from the last coffin.

“This is the path you guys have chosen.”

As if cursing them, the middle-aged man spoke.

“If you save someone, someone else dies. What you do doesn't mean anything—”

The middle-aged man's words were cut short as a sucker clamped onto his head, extracting something from his mind with a sickening slurp.

The memories of 398 people were feeding into a massive cocoon in the center of the chapel. Han Sooyoung approached it. Its exterior was thick and defensive, covered in complex stories woven solely to protect it.

After a moment of hesitation, Yoo Sangah said,

“Wouldn’t it be better to let it descend?”

“The goal of the scenario is to stop the god of the other world, right?”

"It's okay to stop it after it descends."

Han Sooyoung frowned.

She hated this. If the man was right, all the victims here were members of the Salvation Association. People who hated you so much that they wanted to summon an outer god to destroy the world.

Should she risk her life to save them?

“There is even a coffin with a child in it.”

Han Sooyoung sighed and said,

“First of all, let’s check what kind of deity will descend.”

Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah simultaneously reached their hands toward the cocoon, but withdrew them quickly as tentacle suckers shot out from it.

Han Sooyoung slashed the tentacle with her dagger. The tentacles shrunk with a hiss, but Han Sooyoung's expression remained serious.

In just a brief moment, the rate had increased by 1 percent.

“I think I just forgot something.”

At that moment, it felt as if some memory had been sucked out, but she couldn't figure out what she had forgotten.

Besides, there was a bigger problem.

“Did you just see that?”

“… I saw."

An infinitely ominous aura emanated from the cocoon.

It had clearly seen Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah.

Inside was the seed of an outer god from the far reaches of the universe. A divinity that far surpassed the status of a narrative-grade constellation, whose very presence could break a mortal's mind.

If it hatched, Seoul would perish.

If the cocoon couldn't be destroyed, the only way to stop the descent was to cut off the memories feeding it.

Yoo Sangah, whose face had turned pale, bit her lip and said,

“I don’t mean to let all 398 people die.”

“If we don’t stop it, Seoul will perish.”

“I became strong so I wouldn't have to sacrifice anyone. If the deity of the other world descends, I will stop it.”

"You? How?”

"Somehow."

A blue light flashed in Yoo Sangah's eyes. The power of her nebula surged around her.

Realizing what Yoo Sangah was about to do, Han Sooyoung stopped her.

“Are you kidding me? Are you willing to give your life to save these guys?”

Yoo Sangah looked at Han Sooyoung without a word. Han Sooyoung saw the shadow of a familiar figure in Yoo Sangah's eyes.

“If you were Kim Dokja, you would have done this.”

"No. Kim Dokja would never do that.”

"No, he would."

“He wouldn't. What a selfish bastard he is. Do you know how much trouble he caused me?”

“Why did Han Sooyoung stay with such a selfish person?”

Han Sooyoung shut her mouth for a moment. Yoo Sangah continued,

“Kim Dokja is someone who has power and won’t turn away if there is someone in front of him he can save. He is the one who must choose the third option in front of two options that require someone to be sacrificed.”

“That’s because the third option had the best reward.”

“I say that because it's the truth. You can't choose the third option without being prepared to carry the weight.”

Han Sooyoung slowly closed her eyes. Numerous potential futures flashed behind her retinas.

What if she listened to Yoo Sangah, or what if she stuck to her own choice?

The final question that came to mind was:

“Why did Kim Dokja entrust Seoul to Han Sooyoung?”

A cold energy settled in Han Sooyoung's eyes as she opened them.

“Then our cooperation ends here.”

The two daggers pulled from her belt emitted black flames. The black flame of the 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' emanated from her back.

“I have to kill these guys.”

Then, Yoo Sangah's expression also turned cold.

“Sooyoung, why do you always do that? Why don't you look for ways to save everyone?”

“I'm not a good person. In a world where Kim Dokja is called a Demon King, I might as well act like one, too.”

Seeing Han Sooyoung like that, Yoo Sangah took a combat stance. The power of her stigma enveloped her.

“Then I'll have to stop you to save them.”

The two figures vanished at the same time.

"Both of them are crazy."

Jung Heewon muttered.

Watching the battle between Yoo Sangah and Han Sooyoung reflected on the screen, the spectators outside were divided.

“As expected, the Black Flame Empress! You have to have that kind of determination.”

“No, what kind of determination is it to kill 398 people!”

Before they knew it, the spectators outside were divided, some supporting Han Sooyoung and others backing Yoo Sangah.

“The Empress is right. If we can save Seoul by sacrificing them, of course we should.”

“Since when did it become natural to sacrifice the few for the many?"

Some wanted to argue, but they remained quiet because the atmosphere around Jung Heewon was so tense.

In the meantime, the dokkaebi, ignorant of their feelings, chattered freely in the air.

It was at that moment that a tentacle suddenly rose from the top of the dome, snatching the dokkaebi.

The tentacles dragged the dokkaebi into the confined space.

After a moment,

The dokkaebi was kidnapped right in front of their eyes, and the channel cut off.

Everyone was stunned by the shocking event.

The first to recover was Jung Heewon.

“Everyone, fall back!”

The boundary of the dome was expanding, and tentacles began writhing out of the barrier.

Lee Hyunsung spoke in a tense voice,

“There seems to be no limit to how far they can stretch.”

“Hyunsung-ssi, block that side!”

To make matters worse, the screen transmission was completely cut off.

After Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung evacuated the nearby incarnations, they opened the [Monster Gate].

"The north is under attack!"

A cluster of tentacles extending northward caught the fleeing incarnations, dragging them toward the dome.

Just then, the sound of gunfire echoed.

*Bang! Bang!*

The heavy munitions fired by Gong Pildu's [Armed Fortress] held the northern tentacles in check.

“It’s been a while since we all got together.”

A voice spoke from nearby.

A middle-aged man with slicked-back hair in a neat suit, looking pale.

He was the man who had been a minor villain in your life before the scenario started.

Lee Jihye pursed her lips.

“You said you were going to North Korea, so why are you here?”

“I went and nothing was there.”

“Just back off, you won't be any help anyway.”

“Even if I look like this, I'm still a Demon Count—Aaaargh!”

When a tentacle snatched Han Myeongoh's leg, Lee Hyunsung grabbed the appendage with both hands and ripped it away with raw strength.

"Heewon, it's too much for us to hold. The damage will only increase.”

Even the dokkaebi had been captured. Lee Gilyoung was desperately fighting back the tentacles with his net, but his magic power would eventually run out.

“Can we request support from other regions?”

“There's no time. The Wanderers might support, but...”

Jung Heewon shook her head.

“Heewon-noona! Can't we enter the dome?”

Lee Gilyoung pointed at the tentacles.

The victims caught by the tentacles were being dragged inside the dome. If they used that to their advantage, they could enter.

Lee Hyunsung said,

“We can't all go in. We need troops to guard the outside.”

So, who should go in?

Then, someone stepped forward.

The stone walls of the church collapsed, leaving large craters in the floor.

Traces of the clash of power between the Black Flame Dragon and the outer god's influence.

When the dust settled, Yoo Sangah was standing there.

She looked at Han Sooyoung with blank eyes, then lost her strength and collapsed forward.

“I told you. You can't beat me,” Han Sooyoung muttered as she caught Yoo Sangah.

It was a battle decided from the beginning.

It was Yoo Sangah, after all. She couldn't bring herself to fight Han Sooyoung in earnest.

“In the end, I'm just more ruthless than you.”

With Yoo Sangah unconscious on the floor, Han Sooyoung stared at the cocoon.

She wondered if she could destroy it with [Black Flame].

If it failed, the results would be catastrophic. The sacrifices would die, and Seoul would be devastated by the half-hatched outer god.

What should she do?

Han Sooyoung looked up at the sky through a crack in the ceiling.

“There is no way there are no loopholes in this ridiculous scenario.”

That's what you always said.

“Kim Dokja. I'm really having a hard time.”

Even though she knew you couldn't hear, Han Sooyoung spoke the words anyway.

She took a deep breath and smirked.

She thought of you, who had never complained even while dying alone multiple times.

“It makes me angry.”

The moment she closed and opened her eyes, the magical energy flowing from her body took shape.

The power materialized into human forms.

The figures resembling Han Sooyoung multiplied past ten, then a hundred, and soon reached 398.

An avatar for every single sacrifice.

She didn't know if this would work.

But the moment she understood the premise of the scenario, Han Sooyoung knew there was no other way.

This outer god was an entity that hatched by absorbing human memories.

Therefore, what the entity needed wasn't '398 humans,' but '398 memories.'

“Start.”

At her command, Han Sooyoung's avatars pulled the suction cups from the victims and attached them to their own heads.

Intense sparks crackled through the chapel as the memories of the avatars began to drain.

“Ugh—”

A backlash of probability surged through Han Sooyoung's body. Splitting her mind into 398 avatars at once was taking a massive toll.

Yet Han Sooyoung maintained her concentration. Spitting out blood, she focused on feeding the entity modified memories, splitting them into as many small, fragmented pieces as possible.

“What are you doing?”

“Are you awake?”

Yoo Sangah staggered to her feet, looking at Han Sooyoung. Grasping the situation, her face went blank.

“What are you thinking? You can’t sustain that many avatars.”

“I have to. There is no time limit for this scenario, and the dokkaebi in charge was eaten.”

Han Sooyoung looked at the hatching gauge, which read 78%.

“If I feed it memories as slowly as possible, I can maintain this state for a long time.”

It was madness. No matter how high her stats were, there was no way she could sustain this state for long while maintaining nearly 400 avatars.

Yoo Sangah didn't like this.

Because the way Han Sooyoung was solving this problem...

It was the exact same way you had solved scenarios in the past.

“Then you'll die.”

"I won't die."

“Even if your stamina holds, your memories will drain. If you forget him—”

“You'll just have to remember for me. After all, I'm writing a masterpiece.”

Yoo Sangah narrowed her eyes.

"I'd rather—"

“You think it's better to let the outer god hatch and try to make a deal with it?”

"What?"

“That was your plan, wasn't it? Did you think I wouldn't know?”

No matter how strong the constellations of the Korean Peninsula were, they wouldn't risk confronting an outer god for Yoo Sangah. If they were that helpful, they would have stepped in during the Indescribable Distance crisis.

So, there was only one way Yoo Sangah could try.

“She must have been trying to make a deal with the outer god to protect Seoul. Using her life as collateral.”

Just like Kim Dokja had saved the industrial complex before. She figured she could do the same.

Yoo Sangah shook her head.

“It's true I was planning to make a deal, but I'm not that self-sacrificing.”

"Then?"

“To be honest, I'm not interested in saving Seoul.”

What did she want then? Han Sooyoung didn't ask.

“I will help, too.”

“How? Just help the incarnations escape.”

“You can't do this alone.”

“If you stay, we'll both get trapped.”

“Better than you being trapped alone.”

Just then, the cocoon shuddered, emitting sparks.

The memory fulfillment rate gauge had stopped rising.

The ominous magic flowing from the cocoon pressed down on Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah.

“I'm feeding you! What do you mean by 'proper' memories?!”

“Tell me what it is!”

Han Sooyoung fell to her knees under the spark's pressure.

Yoo Sangah stepped forward, clenching her fists.

After a moment, a small fragment of a story appeared in Yoo Sangah's hand. She tossed the fragment toward the cocoon.

The cocoon glowed white, absorbing the memory.

The pressure in the chapel subsided. The entity seemed satisfied with the offering.

Surprised, Han Sooyoung asked,

“What did you give it?”

“A fragment of a story.”

“Which one?”

Yoo Sangah, looking paler than before, replied,

“That entity... it's only consuming memories related to Kim Dokja.”

It wasn't just any memory; it wanted memories of you.

Han Sooyoung asked,

“Do you think it knows about Kim Dokja?”

The cocoon didn't answer.

“Maybe the stories about him are known as a delicacy among outer gods...”

“Is that why it stole the fragment of Kim Dokja's story earlier?”

Han Sooyoung let out a sigh.

Even now, the cocoon was eagerly sucking in the memories.

“I can't help it. Tell me later who Kim Dokja was.”

Yoo Sangah threw another fragment of her story into the cocoon like firewood.

“If I have any memories left.”

“Stop. Someone has to remember him when he comes back.”

“Others will remember.”

“Do you want me to be the only one who forgets? I don't even remember much. I didn't think much of him.”

“I don't have much either.”

The two were silent for a moment.

“It has been two years already.”

Two years. Time had flown by.

The time after you left passed faster than before.

“Sooyoung, you didn’t even come to the first anniversary last year.”

“What would I do there?”

“On the first anniversary, we all gathered and talked about Kim Dokja. Even Yoo Joonghyuk came, though he did nothing but cook.”

"..."

“I want to hear about Dokja, Sooyoung.”

Han Sooyoung lowered her eyes.

Since you disappeared, Han Sooyoung had never spoken about you seriously with anyone. After a long silence, she opened her mouth.

“Kim Dokja...”

Han Sooyoung's lips moved.

It wasn't a grand story. Just a memory of a single day they had spent together.

Yoo Sangah nodded.

“Did he?”

"At that time."

"Really?"

"Really."

Slowly, the two of them spoke of you. As the stories flowed, forgotten memories returned to life, painting a clearer picture of you where only a faint outline had remained.

“Did you two really only go to a beef dinner?”

"Yes."

“I feel sorry for you.”

Everyone becomes a writer when they speak of the things they hold dear.

“Did you fight in the comments?”

"He didn't know it was me."

A story about you.

Is that really you? What does it mean to remember someone?

What is the purpose of repeating memories over and over again when they will eventually fade?

“What else did he like?”

“He used to enjoy food made by Yoo Joonghyuk before.”

“He even ate the food I cooked.”

“Well, he really would eat anything then.”

And the outer god greedily consumed their stories.

Watching the cocoon glow red like a bonfire, the two talked about you again and again.

To remember you is to talk about you.

Something they couldn't bear to leave unspoken.

As the stories continued, the memories faded, but they felt your presence becoming more vivid.

As if each story created a new memory. As if you would walk out of the living narrative at any moment.

"We are here!"

Shin Yoosung stood at the entrance of the chapel.

Seeing the two, she rushed toward them. Han Sooyoung scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“As you can see, I was holding this monster back. If it gets out, we're finished.”

“The outside is being secured. This is no time to be sitting here. Who are these people?”

Yoo Sangah calmed Shin Yoosung down and explained the situation—what they were facing and why they were talking about you.

Shin Yoosung's expression turned complex after hearing the story.

“So we can't defeat it before it descends, and that's why we're stalling?”

"Yes."

“And this monster only eats memories of Dokja-ahjussi?”

"It seems so."

“Then we just need to keep feeding it stories to buy time.”

"Right."

“But won't it eventually descend anyway?”

“We buy time. Kyrgios-nim and the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint will be back by then.”

Shin Yoosung looked dumbfounded by Han Sooyoung's reckless plan.

“Is there no other way?”

Han Sooyoung looked back at her avatars.

“Well, I could just kill all my avatars.”

The condition to clear the scenario was to stop the outer god's descent. If the sacrifices were eliminated, the descent would fail.

“But I don't know if the victims will be safe if I kill the avatars. And if 400 avatars disappear at once, Sooyoung won't be safe either.”

"The backlash of losing so many memories at once will be immense."

Han Sooyoung's avatars were created by sharing her own memories. If they were destroyed all at once, her mind would suffer a devastating blow.

"That's why you've been talking about pathetic things."

In the end, they were cornered.

Shin Yoosung sighed at the two of them, then sat down beside them.

"I'll send the incarnations out for now."

The monsters summoned through her [Monster Gate] began carrying the sleeping victims out. Because Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah were constantly feeding it memories, the entity didn't care about the escape of its sacrifices.

“Can I talk about Ahjussi, too?”

“It will help buy time.”

Shin Yoosung thought deeply.

“It feels like we're at a very quiet funeral.”

“Is Kim Dokja the deceased?”

“But isn't the gauge filling up too fast?”

“Tell it some useless memories.”

“Useless memories…”

Silence fell over the three of them. A heavy silence.

Han Sooyoung suddenly stood up.

“Forget it. Let's just destroy it. We've saved the people.”

“Shall we break the cocoon? If we attack together, we might shatter it.”

Yoo Sangah spoke, her eyes exhausted but determined.

Just then, Shin Yoosung spoke.

“What is Ahjussi doing right now?”

Shin Yoosung looked down at her phone.

[You have collected 150 species! Well done.]

*King of the Monster Collectors*.

Kim Dokja was right there in the game.

[Well done.]

Shin Yoosung listened to the voice recording over and over.

[Well done.]

A voice very similar to Kim Dokja, but not his own.

Shin Yoosung looked up, clenching her fists, and conjured a small fragment of a story.

“Ahjussi... sometimes stares at the wall and dances alone!”

Shin Yoosung tossed the memory fragment into the cocoon. The entity absorbed it and shuddered.

Yoo Sangah, looking exhausted, asked,

"Did he really do that?"

"No."

"What? Then..."

“I just made it up. I thought it would be funny.”

The cocoon began to contract and expand violently, making a popping sound.

Han Sooyoung shouted,

“What did you do?! What if you feed it the wrong thing!”

"Uh..."

Shin Yoosung looked at the screen, surprised.

“The gauge decreased.”

It had been at 78% earlier, but the satisfaction rate had actually dropped.

Han Sooyoung's eyebrows twitched.

“Wait, this.”

What you always said came to mind.

In any scenario, there is always a way to clear it.

Maybe that wasn't what you meant, but it didn't matter. Since you were always tricking constellations with outrageous fabrications, she figured she could do the same.

“Make up any memory related to Kim Dokja!”

Yoo Sangah spoke up immediately,

“Kim Dokja was a diligent office worker.”

“He tried to copy Yoo Joonghyuk's hairstyle once!”

The gauge shrank further.

"Uh?"

The three of them stared at the gauge and began shouting lies.

“Kim Dokja told Lee Jihye she was pretty.”

Han Sooyoung wove their lies into fake memories and distributed them through the avatars.

The cocoon convulsed again.

Han Sooyoung looked at the cocoon and said,

“If we feed it too much nonsense, it might self-destruct. Mix in some real ones!”

Han Sooyoung looked at Yoo Sangah.

“Honestly, you had a thing with Kim Dokja at the office, right?”

"Yes?"

“Kim Dokja fed dirt to Yoo Joonghyuk!”

“That's plausible.”

“Kim Dokja said he wanted to quickly finish the scenario and go back to work.”

"That's too obvious of a lie."

They continued feeding it absurd fabrications. The cocoon turned green and began to vomit up the memories it had consumed. Seeing the rate plummet, the three of them shouted in rapid succession.

“What Kim Dokja likes is—”

“*SSSSS-Class Infinite Regressor*!”

“Anna Croft!”

“Intermediate Dokkaebi Paul!”

“Tomatoes!”

To deliver the final blow, Shin Yoosung opened her mouth.

“Kim Dokja will come back to us today.”

The cocoon exploded, and the entity awakened.

A cloud of ominous magic rose, but its power was severely weakened.

It resembled a giant maggot.

The incomplete 'memory seeker' shrieked, glared at the three of them, and soared toward the ceiling, attempting to flee to find real memories elsewhere.

"Catch it!"

Han Sooyoung tried to ignite her [Black Flame], but she was out of magic. As her avatars vanished one by one, she yelled,

“Shin Yoosung!”

Shin Yoosung ordered her tamed monsters to charge the beast. However, the entity's resistance was fierce.

Even weakened, it possessed the divinity of an outer god. It wasn't something ordinary monsters could defeat.

Yoo Sangah shot web after web until her magic was entirely depleted.

A storm of magical energy swirled around the entity as it swelled, threatening to detonate the entire area.

Yoo Sangah bit her lip, glaring at the beast.

They were missing a final blow.

The monster was bound, but no one had the strength left to finish it.

Just then, the ceiling of the dome shattered with a thunderous roar.

Dazzling arcs of white light pierced the darkness, striking the entity.

Two black wings.

A sword covered in brilliant light severed the creature in two.

Even weakened, it took an overwhelming force to defeat it in a single strike.

Shin Yoosung murmured in disbelief,

"....Ahjussi?"

She took a step toward the shadow. The illusory wings vanished, leaving a black coat in their place.

The man looked down at the stories scattered on the floor and stepped on one of them.

The protagonist of the story you had read for so long stood there.

As if those memories were no longer needed.

Yoo Sangah let out a weary laugh.

“You're late.”

Yoo Joonghyuk nodded.

Yoo Sangah limped out of the church, supported by Han Sooyoung.

Shin Yoosung guarded the front while Yoo Joonghyuk watched their rear.

They walked out to see their companions running toward them—Jung Heewon, Lee Hyunsung, Lee Gilyoung, Lee Seolhwa, Gong Pildu, and even Han Myeongoh.

Yoo Sangah smiled and said,

“They said they were busy, but everyone came.”

Near the disappearing boundary stood the statue of the 'Demon King of Salvation,' its wings fractured from the shockwave.

Yoo Joonghyuk silently looked up at the statue.

“It was reckless.”

"I know."

“If I hadn’t come, you would all be dead.”

“I knew you would come.”

Yoo Sangah gazed at the statue.

A system message echoed in the air.

These were messages they would normally analyze closely.

But today, Yoo Sangah didn't care about the rewards.

Did it really matter who the top contributor was?

Han Sooyoung's shoulders trembled. She looked around hurriedly.

“Where is the outer god fragment?”

“I dealt with it.”

"How?"

"Yoo Joonghyuk."

"Damn that bastard."

Han Sooyoung turned to curse him, but Yoo Joonghyuk was already gone.

"Fast bastard."

In the distance, the group was cleaning up.

Shin Yoosung boasted about registering an outer god fragment in her encyclopedia while Lee Gilyoung looked on in envy. Lee Hyunsung, Jung Heewon, and Lee Seolhwa tended to the wounded. Han Myeongoh and Gong Pildu scavenged for items. Lee Jihye wandered around, looking for Yoo Joonghyuk, who had already vanished.

Exhausted, Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah sat down together on the broken wing of Kim Dokja's statue.

It was deep into the night, past midnight.

The ruined streets and the injured incarnations were a familiar sight, yet one they could never get used to.

Gazing at the ruined streets from the statue's wing, Han Sooyoung thought:

You didn't come back this time either.

In fact, you felt even more distant. As time passed, they would only forget you more. How many more scenarios would they have to clear before they forgot you completely?

“… Sooyoung?”

"What?"

“Shall we all live together?”

Han Sooyoung blinked in surprise.

"Why?"

“I live with Sookyoung-ssi. Living alone has its hassles, doesn't it?”

Han Sooyoung smirked.

“Well, it's annoying having to gather every year.”

“If you don't like it, you can keep living alone.”

“Is the food at your place good?”

"Not bad."

“I tend to work odd hours.”

“If you live with us, your routine will go back to normal. People who work hard during the day sleep at night.”

Han Sooyoung stared at Yoo Sangah in disbelief, and Yoo Sangah smiled.

"Just now."

"Just now?"

“That entity took 1% of my memories.”

“Ah, it did.”

“I think I forgot something.”

"Forgot what?"

“If I knew, I wouldn't have forgotten it.”

“True.”

“But I think I know what it was.”

“What?”

“There was a novel I wanted to write.”

Yoo Sangah tilted her head.

"A novel? What is it about?”

“I don’t know. I forgot the first sentence. Since it only consumed memories of Kim Dokja—”

“It must be about him, then.”

"No, it doesn't have to be."

The two looked up at the sky.

It was a clear night, the stars shining brightly. Yet, there were still stars they couldn't see.

Yoo Sangah said,

“If you can't see a star, look at the empty space beside it. Sometimes, that's how you spot the stars that are hidden.”

“I don’t see anything.”

“If you've forgotten the main story, you can always write a side story.”

Han Sooyoung blinked, then smiled faintly.

A prequel before the main story.

"That's funny."

Somewhere in the night sky, the main story might be floating, carried away by an outer god.

But since they had forgotten it, there was nothing they could do.

So the only story she could write now was a story about the memories she had lost.

Han Sooyoung stared at the darkness beside the stars for a long time.

A long, quiet side story. A story of days longer than the main quest itself, written and rewritten until it would eventually fade.

She imagined the moment when you would finally return, reading this story with a look of disbelief.

One by one, the stars faded as the dawn began to brighten in the distance. Han Sooyoung watched the light, licking her lips.

“I remembered the first sentence.”

“What is it?”

If you are indeed reading these words. Then the sentences I write will finally find their meaning.

Han Sooyoung took a deep breath and began the long story.

“This story is for you, who have nothing more to read at the end of the world.”

[Side Story 2 - End]