Chapter 194 — Episode 36 - Story Horizon (4)
10 min read ·
The texture of the dull quilt touched skin.
Jung Heewon didn’t know how long it had been since she enjoyed a luxury like this. Everything was peaceful. She didn’t need to be afraid of being attacked by monsters in the night or watch out for humans trying to steal her items.
However, Jung Heewon was well aware that this peace wouldn’t last long.
“Jung Heewon-ssi! Please open the door!”
“I’m asking you for an interview!”
For a week, reporters had been clamouring in front of the house. She could glimpse flashes of light through the curtains. In front of the ruthless gazes of the cameras, Jung Heewon felt a strong sense of deja vu.
“...It isn’t just the constellations who are voyeurs.”
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is chuckling.]
[The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ agrees with your thoughts.]
Jung Heewon felt a new sense of emotion at all the gazes on her. Before the scenario began, the forms were different but there were similar things.
The voyeuristic gazes and the struggle for survival. In this sense, the scenario might be around before the ‘scenario’ even started. Nobody knew it was a ‘scenario.’
Through the window, she saw the broken city area and the blocked Seoul Dome. It had already been a week since they left Seoul Dome but Jung Heewon couldn’t believe she was out of the dome.
“Heewon unni! Did you just wake up?”
“Ah yes, Jihye.”
Jung Heewon smiled helplessly as Lee Jihye burst through the door.
It had been one week after the escape from Seoul Dome. Many things had happened in the meantime.
Jung Heewon and the group were assisted with homes by the provisional government in the Gyeonggi area and were invited to the institute to answer a few questions. They were obvious questions.
What happened inside Seoul Dome?
Were the rumours on the Internet true?
How many people were like them and what ideas did they have?
What were the constellations and the scenario?
At first, Jung Heewon faithfully answered the questions as the representative. Then over time, the whole thing became annoying.
She wondered what was the point in doing this?
The South Korean government had already disappeared. The provisional government, made up of some lucky parliament and city council members, had no idea what had happened. They still firmly believed that the ‘state’ system would be meaningful in the face of future scenarios. For those who were still stuck to old beliefs despite the new era, Jung Heewon had something to say to them.
-Take off your suits and your ties first.
-Huh?
-They aren’t good outfits to run away in.
Jung Heewon glanced at Lee Jihye. In any case, the party members were the only ones she could believe in.
“What about Yoo Sangah-ssi?”
“She is in a room with the kids.”
The problem was that the party members weren’t well.
Lee Jihye spoke in a dark voice,
“...The loss of Dokja ahjussi is a big blow.”
Honestly, things were uncertain when he was with them but once he was missing, everyone was lost. This was Kim Dokja to the party members. Everyone’s purpose was survival but it was Kim Dokja who decided the path of survival. It was natural for the party members to lose their direction and scatter.
“I wish I had the manual that Soldier ahjussi mentioned.”
“Have you heard from Hyunsung-ssi yet?”
“...He was called to the army on the first day and there is still no news.”
Lee Hyunsung was originally a soldier and it was natural for him to be called by the army. Lee Jihye whined.
“He is really foolish... I wouldn’t have gone. What use is the army in this world?”
Jung Heewon agreed with Lee Jihye’s words but she didn’t want to scold Lee Hyunsung. Everyone had different ways of dealing with loss. The children stayed in the room while Lee Hyunsung returned to the army.
If it was just that...
[The following scenario will start in three days.]
Jung Heewon gulped as she saw the message floating in the air. Three days later, hell would begin again.
The more complicated problem was that the scenarios in the future were likely to be completely different from what they had already been through.
[You can now respond to the call of the sponsors and receive the personal trials they have set.]
[Personal trials are treated as hidden scenarios and can be replaced the main scenario if it overlaps with certain main scenarios.]
[Scenario substitution is available only until the 25th main scenario begins.]
They passed the tenth scenario and opened the ‘personal trials.’ Jung Heewon didn’t have a sense of what they were yet.
Lee Jihye spoke in a comforting manner. “Don’t worry too much. Master said it isn’t a big deal for the moment.”
“How about Yoo Jonghyuk-ssi?”
“I don’t know where he went after Kim Dokja’s song. He is unlike the real Master...”
Certainly, Yoo Jonghyuk’s reaction to Kim Dokja’s death was puzzling.
Yoo Jonghyuk stayed in his room like a broken person for a while before suddenly disappearing, saying he would be back in three days.
“Han Sooyoung-ssi?”
“She went to talk to the government officials this morning. She said it is time to reap the seeds that were sown...”
“The government? What can she expect from them?”
Then something belatedly came to her mind.
-If something happens to me, unconditionally follow Han Sooyoung.
They were words that Kim Dokja once left with her. Why did they have to move with Han Sooyoung? However, there must be a reasonable explanation since Kim Dokja said this.
Jung Heewon got up and the surprised Lee Jihye asked, “Are you going out?”
“Yes. I can’t continue staying inside here. We should also get ready.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
Both of them didn’t have a hesitant nature once they decided on something. Lee Jihye and Jung Heewon headed straight out of the house. They opened the front door and the shutter sound poured towards them.
“Jung Heewon-ssi! I’m a reporter from Georyo Ilbo! Only one word. Please!”
They weren’t the only survivors.
Nearly 1,000 people came back from Seoul Dome. Some of them contacting the living and spoke about the terrible few months they lived.
The reporters continued to find the party members despite accumulating enough stories. The reason was simple. Among the 1,000 survivors, Jung Heewon and the others were celebrities who were at the centre of the scenario.
“Jung Heewon-ssi! What happened inside there?”
“I heard it was helpful that you learnt kendo. Is that true?”
“There is a rumour that you were a candidate for the national team...”
Jung Heewon looked at the reporters pushing their microphones towards her. The government had told her not to tell the media what happened. She had been saving her words so far because she didn’t find it easy to talk.
Then... why? Today, Jung Heewon felt like saying something.
“You are curious about what happened inside there?”
Jung Heewon let go of Lee Jihye’s hand and looked at the banner waving outside.
[Yangcheon-gu’s Hero! Celebrating the safe return of Judge of Destruction Jung Heewon!]
...Hero? Her?
Yangcheon-gu had long since disappeared. Nevertheless, this banner was hung and Jung Heewon couldn’t withstand it anymore.
“I’m not the hero you think I am. I wasn’t a candidate for the national team and I didn’t do well in kendo.”
Jung Heewon spoke into the microphone like she was talking to the whole world.
“Before the destruction came, I was just a bartender working at a cheap bar.”
Her words caused a stir among the reporters. Nobody could believe it. Someone scoffed and someone else looked a bit jealous.
In front of these gazes, Jung Heewon felt strangely free. She wasn’t the old ‘Jung Heewon’ anymore. Jung Heewon realized it with all these eyes on her.
The reporters kept asking her questions.
How could a bartender become one of the last survivors?
How could she survive and how did she become the Judge of Destruction?
[The constellation ‘Bald General of Justice’ is looking at you with sad eyes.]
[The constellation ‘One-Eyed Maitreya’ is reminded of someone by your words.]
The indirect messages of the constellations came from all over the place. Jung Heewon opened her mouth without understanding her feelings.
“Do you know Kim Dokja?”
[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ is nodding.]
[The constellation ‘Seo Ae Il Pil’ remembers the name.]
[The constellation ‘Last Hero of Hwangsanbeol’ remembers him.]
The voices of the reporters followed after the constellation.
“Kim Dokja?”
“Who is that?”
“I seem to have heard it before.”
Jung Heewon thought it was funny. They didn’t know. Of course, they could never know.
Jung Heewon lightly breathed in and said, “The last survivors didn’t survive with our own strength.”
She suddenly felt like crying as she spoke. The reporters didn’t know anything and kept asking questions.
“What are you saying?”
“The name ‘Kim Dokja’ isn’t on the list of survivors?”
“Why didn’t Kim Dokja-ssi come back with you?”
“Where is that person now?”
Where was he? Jung Heewon didn’t know. However, if she had one wish...
“That person...” Jung Heewon stared at the Seoul Dome. “He’ll be back. Definitely.”
***
「 At this time, Kim Dokja opened his eyes in the Demon World. 」
“Heeeeeeok!”
I screamed as I vomited and opened my eyes. The sound of my heartbeat was unfamiliar.
A golden aura appeared around my heart and rough magic power was emitted. It might be broken but it was still the heart of a dragon hatchling. The strong magic power of the transplanted material was enough to stun me.
If I could use this properly, I wouldn’t be lacking magic power in combat for a while.
[The attribute ‘Lamarck Kirin’ has allowed you to absorb the power of the broken story.]
In fact, absorbing a broken story was a dangerous idea. It would’ve been impossible for me without Lamarck Kirin.
「 Lamarck Kirin isn’t acknowledged among the other evolutionary attributes because it is less effective. However, it has the fewest side-effects and doesn’t absorb the weakness of the story. 」
If I had obtained Darwin’s Demon, another evolutionary attribute, I would’ve been killed the moment I ate the gold dragon’s story.
This absorption effect was good because my safety was guaranteed. I didn’t have multiple lives anymore.
[The story fragment ‘Broken Heart of a Young Gold Dragon’ has been acquired.]
The original name of this story fragment was ‘ heart of a young gold dragon who was torn to death by an outer god’ However, I didn’t absorb the ‘torn to death by an outer god’ part.
This was the advantage of Lamarck Kirin. The absorption rate of the story was low but the weakness wasn’t absorbed.
[Your new body is being constructed.]
[The creation of a new body will delay the collapse of your existence.]
[This effect is temporary and it is recommended to quickly return to the scenario.]
Magic power flowed from my new beating heart and I could breathe a bit. At the very least, the tragedy of losing my birth story wouldn’t happen anymore.
The reconstruction of my body would start from now on.
I started to eat ‘right arm of the poor sword master who was stabbed in the back by a colleague.’ Rather than tearing off flesh, it was closer to peeping at a story that broke as soon as it was seen.
[The story fragment ‘Right Arm of the Poor Sword Master’ has been acquired.]
I didn’t know if it was just my imagination but I felt that I could use the sword a bit better.
[The attribute ‘Lamarck Kirin’ has reached its saturation limit.]
[Drop the saturation level to absorb new story fragments.]
I felt better after eating two story fragments and sat down on a pile of garbage.
“...It is a bit cold.”
It was less painful than before but the cold continued to prickle at my skin.
The durability of my body had increased but the ‘exile penalty’ hadn’t disappeared. I felt a big emptiness and loneliness from the loss of the story. I seemed to know why people wanted to hear, see or read something over and over.
Then a slight warmth started to flow through my body.
[Someone is talking about you.]
...Talking about me?
[Your story is being created on Planet Earth.
I could see what happened. Someone was talking about me on Earth.
Who was it? It couldn’t be Yoo Jonghyuk. Lee Hyunsung? Jung Heewon? Or Shin Yoosung?
...I didn’t know. Still, it was funny. Someone was telling my story. Someone still remembered...
[The new story ‘Kim Dojega’s Legend’ has been created on Peace Land.]
...I hoped they would at least get my name right. I looked up at the night sky where the stars were invisible.
This was the horizon of the story. I couldn’t see the stars and the stars couldn’t see me. Thus, the arrogant stars wouldn’t know.
In a place they couldn’t see, the story that was going to destroy them had just begun.