A white figure of a person rose up in the pitch-black darkness.
Yu Jung-Hyeok swung his sword several times at this figure. From the Breaking the Sky Thunder Sword, even to the Shooting Star Slash. However, not one of his sword skills managed to even touch the enemy’s shadow.
Right after that, Fables collided. Jolted awake now, he opened his eyes while gasping out a pained moan.
He was sitting inside the darkened training dojo, the sun having set already. A lengthy shadow was looking down on him.
It was the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint.
“Was he really strong?”
His master bent her back to settle down, her eyes filled with concern towards her disciple. Yu Jung-Hyeok bit his lip and replied. “….He was.”
“By how much?”
“Even after unlocking the Transcendence level 5, I couldn’t win against him.”
The fifth level of Transcendence was the absolute limit that the current Yu Jung-Hyeok had reached.
The Breaking the Sky Saint quietly observed him for a little while, before opening her lips. “When you break past the Transcendence’s sixth level, you’ll no longer be bound by the [Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship]’s gender requirements.”
Originally, the [Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship] was a martial technique designed for women. But, as was the case with every martial technique out there, once one stepped past a certain level, they would reach the stage of ‘Breaking Beyond Boundaries’.
The process of endlessly exceeding many boundaries was the part of a Transcender’s training regime.
“There is no guarantee of defeating him even if I reach the sixth level.”
“Why do you think that?”
“He is me.”
For the first time ever, Yu Jung-Hyeok’s always-confident voice contained a faint trace of fear. “That man, he’s none other than me who has regressed over 1863rd times. How can I defeat someone like that?”
It was a clear sign of despair.
The moment he stood face to face with the ‘Secretive Plotter’, he witnessed a wall he couldn’t overcome no matter what he tried. There was the gap of time between them that could never be bridged by the mere 3rd turn regression. His enemy had already surpassed that lengthy period of time to enter this world-line.
The Sword Saint spoke. “He is not you.”
“….He is also Yu Jung-Hyeok.”
“He has not tread on the same path as you have. And he’ll not do so in the future, either.”
As if she wanted to wipe away the despair rooted in her disciple’s eyes, her large hand gently stroked his cheek.
She spoke again. “It’s not the level of Transcendence you have reached, but which Fables you have acquired that’s the most important part. You may be only a little chick who has regressed three times, but you know of Fables that he doesn’t.”
Yu Jung-Hyeok heard those words and looked down at his fist. It was a fist that failed to reach the ‘Secretive Plotter’. He slowly unfurled his hand and Fables leaked out from there.
Fables that he had acquired himself. Fables that the ‘Secretive Plotter’ didn’t know. And….
“The path of Transcendence is different for everyone. So, do not try to chase after him, and search for the path only you can tread.”
He wordlessly clenched his fist tightly. As if he didn’t want to permit any of the Fables to leave him.
“….Have you heard any new information, Master?”
The Breaking the Sky Saint shook her head.
It had been over a week since Kim Dok-Ja’s disappearance.
Unfortunately, neither his whereabouts nor the location of the ‘Secretive Plotter’ had been discovered until now.
“You say that he crossed over from another world-line.”
“That’s correct.”
“I do not know what his aim is, but if he bothered to enter this world-line at this point in time, then it’s possible that his goal is somehow related to the ‘Final Scenario’.”
Yu Jung-Hyeok agreed with her opinion. In other words, there was a good chance that he’d encounter the ‘Secretive Plotter’ again by going to the location of the Final Scenario.
“However, the current situation is that the <Kim Dok-Ja Company> can’t enter the ‘Final Scenario’.”
He nodded his head.
On that day they failed to enter the ‘Final Scenario’, the <Bureau> one-sidedly sent that communique in their direction. However, he thought that made some sense. Because, not only were they a newly-created Nebula, the number of Fables they managed to acquire was also rather small, as well.
However, one couldn’t strictly argue that when taking into consideration the grade of the Fables they had acquired. Especially so with the ⸢Season of Light and Darkness⸥, the Great Fable they earned the last time that would be extremely hard to find its equal anywhere in the <Star Stream>.
In the end, everything boiled down to Kim Dok-Ja’s absence.
After the person possessing the highest percentage of the Nebula’s Fable shares left the group, the aggregate amount of Fables for the whole Nebula had become simply too inadequate.
It was unknown what Yu Jung-Hyeok was thinking to himself as he maintained his silence. And how long went by like that? He slowly raised himself up off the floor, sheathed the [Dark Heavenly Demon Sword] and although still unsteady on his feet, got ready to leave.
“Where are you planning to go?”
“I’m leaving to acquire a new Great Fable, Master.”
He needed to acquire the qualification to get to the ‘Final Scenario’ even without Kim Dok-Ja’s shares. <Kim Dok-Ja Company> was neither that fool’s private army nor his underlings. This group needed to be able to protect themselves without him around, and even if they end up losing him somehow….
….They needed to be capable enough to clear the ‘Final Scenario’.
[Ba-aht….]
Biyu murmured in despondency from somewhere in the empty air. Yu Jung-Hyeok silently stared at her for a little while, before activating the [Eye of Sage] to sift through the information he possessed in his head.
There weren’t that many locations left at this point in time where he could acquire a ‘Great Fable’. When flipping that statement around, it also meant that the remaining Fables would be that much more powerful than others.
He had already acquired one powerful Great Fable called the ⸢Season of Light and Darkness⸥. If he managed to earn ‘that Fable’ on top of this, then it might be possible to fight against the ‘Secretive Plotter’ once more.
The Breaking the Sky Sword Saint watched Yu Jung-Hyeok walk away and asked him. “Are you planning to go alone?”
“I’ve always been alone, Master.”
“But, that path is the one already tread by the other party.”
His Master’s words caused Yu Jung-Hyeok’s figure to flinch.
In the next moment, a voice came out from beyond the walls of the training hall.
“Hey Yu Jung-Hyeok, where are you?? We gotta get going, now!”
With the blinding light behind them, the members of <Kim Dok-Ja Company> opened the door and rushed inside the dojo.
Shin Yu-Seung, Yi Gil-Yeong, Yi Ji-Hye, and Han Su-Yeong….
It was unknown since when they got ready to leave, but regardless, everyone from the Nebula was here.
The Breaking the Sky Sword Saint spoke again. “They are precisely your Fable now, Jung-Hyeok-ah.”
Something that the ‘Secretive Plotter’ did not possess.
Yu Jung-Hyeok dazedly looked back at his Master, and she addressed him again.
“You don’t have to fight alone in this regression turn.”
*
The location of the new ‘Great Fable’ was four days away. It would’ve been so much quicker to get there by borrowing the powers of the Dokkaebis, but the current situation didn’t permit that.
All thanks to the stinking agreement I had with the ‘Wenny King’.
Because of it, I couldn’t enter Biyu’s channel or send word of my wellbeing to the <Kim Dok-Ja Company>.
In the end, I had no choice but to personally drive the [X-grade Ferrarghini] I purchased from the ‘Mass Production-type Maker’ to the destination.
The kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeok number [999] polishing his [Heaven Shaking Sword] atop my shoulder grumbled softly. “Your driving sucks.”
“Then, why don’t you drive? By the way, you’re not planning to stick to that appearance now, are you?”
Without a doubt, we’d run into Constellations that will recognise us once we entered the scenario location. The existence of the kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeok was just too eye-catching.
Well, Yu Jung-Hyeok himself was just too famous by now, so….
“Indeed, I am too inconspicuous like this.”
[999] seemed to be pondering something. His body suddenly jolted a bit, before a ‘Pow!’ noise resounded out and he transformed into a Murim dumpling.
I was shocked silly by this event. But [999] sounded utterly disinterested as he addressed me.
“….Hey, you. Carrying a dumpling around on my shoulder will be even more eye-catching, you know?”
Just as the kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeok couldn’t maintain his original appearance, I too needed to make sure that my identity as ‘Kim Dok-Ja’ wasn’t discovered.
The now-dumpling-fied Yu Jung-Hyeok roughly rubbed the dumpling skin all over my face as if he was trying to paint a wall. I sensed the Fable on my face change as creaking noises resounded out. How long passed by like that?
By the time I opened my eyes, I ended up freaking out by what I saw.
[999] spoke to me as I stared dumbfoundedly at the mirror, my eyes blinking non-stop.
Holy moly. This might not be enough to slap Yu Jung-Hyeok’s cheek silly, but still…. It should be enough to make me ponder whether I should slap him or not, at least. (TL note at the end)
I rubbed my new statuesque face and muttered to myself. “….Can’t I keep this face forever?”
As if he had touched something dirty, [999] diligently patted down his dumpling body. Completely disregarding whether he was doing that or not, I continued to stare at the mirror.
A long time ago, I absorbed the Fable fragment of the ‘Casanova Who Died During Sexual Acts’ and became pretty good looking for a while, but this was on another scale compared to that.
I spoke in an admiring tone of voice. “It’s true that the 999th regression turn is amazing. The 3rd turn doesn’t have skills like this one, you know.”
“Oh, you didn’t know? Yu Jung-Hyeok in this place is the 3rd turn. And this is the 3rd turn world-line, too.”
The kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeok number [999] stared deeply at me for a while after hearing those words, and asked me a question.
“What do you mean why….?”
I was about to reply with “Because, the ‘Ways of Survival’ starts off with the 3rd turn, that’s why” but stopped. I decided to refine my answer just a bit.
“….Because, the beginning was the 3rd turn, that’s why.”
He was right.
The first chapter of the ‘Ways of Survival’ started off from Yu Jung-Hyeok’s third turn, but if you get technical about it, then you could say that the story began with his 0th turn.
I felt a bit weirded out after thinking like that.
….Why did I come to Yu Jung-Hyeok’s ‘third turn’, anyway?
I wasn’t going to follow the 3rd turn’s story as it was in the original, so there wouldn’t have been a reason for me to start in this particular turn even if that’s where the novel began.
…..I don’t know. It’s not as if I can figure this out right now, anyway.
“Yu Jung-Hyeok in this world-line said that he was the ‘third turn’. So, this place is the third regression turn.”
And the information I confirmed through the [Character List] said so, too.
But then, [999] spoke in a mocking tone.
“What?”
Along with the blinding light, the lengthy dimension tunnel finally came to an end. What appeared next was a giant Gate leading to the new scenario’s location.
I spotted a group of beings waiting to enter in front of the Gate. I collected the [X-grade Ferrarghini] and joined the group.
A Constellation was manning the entrance to the scenario location, rather than the usual Dokkaebis. But that made sense, since the host for this ‘Great Fable’ scenario was a Nebula.
Although it was one of the largest Nebulas out there, it had almost no point of contact with me until now.
[Next.]
It was a Constellation holding a massive three-pronged spear on one hand, while wearing a combination of aged crimson crown and armour set.
The domineering Status exuding from his entire body attested to the fact that he was a Fable-grade Constellation possessing a pretty hefty Status.
The Guardian of Buddhist Laws, Virudhaka. (TL: In Korean and Hanja – 증장천왕/增長天王)
He was one of the Four Heavenly Kings that protected the entrance of the <Heavenly Palace>, the headquarters of the Nebula <Emperor>.
[Next.]
Not too long afterwards, my turn came around.
Virudhaka glared at my face intently as if he wanted to discover anything suspicious on it and eventually, threw out his first question.
[Your purpose for visiting?]
[I came to participate in the Great Fable.]
[Your Modifier.]
Obviously, I couldn’t use the ‘Demon King of Salvation’ here. Fortunately, I did have a brand new Modifier I received not too long ago.
[It’s the ‘Watcher of Light and Darkness’.]
<Episode 80. Our greatest ally (2)> Fin.
(TL: “slapping XX’s cheek” is not a literal act of physical violence, but simply a popular saying in Korea that implies “you’re so pretty that it puts the other party to shame”.)
