For a moment there, Yi Gil-Yeong’s lips bobbed up and down. Tears rapidly welled up in the boy’s clear eyes.
“Y-you, you….”
I finished patting his head and dragged a nearby piece of floating debris to me.
(Sun Wukong fired a wind-type magic behind him.)
[Exclusive skill, ‘Way of the Wind Lv.10’, is activating!]
Along with the gust of wind, the debris, with me as its passenger, shot forward at a rapid pace. Yi Gil-Yeong’s voice called out to me from behind, but it was buried under the noise of the rushing winds.
[Someone in the <Kim Dok-Ja Company> is suspecting your real identity.]
[The Wenny King is glaring at you!]
The Nine Stars noticed my movement and began pursuing me instead. A couple of them even shot past me, rather than stopping me here.
I spotted the location of the ‘sacred texts’ in the distance. A single book emitting beautiful light rested on top of a small island shrouded in a mysterious fog.
And also, the Nine Stars and <Emperor>’s Constellations were standing before it.
I sighed softly under my breath.
[Outer God transformation rate: 98.3%]
[Damage to your Incarnation Body is critical.]
There was only one remaining method now.
Out of the blue, Yu Jung-Hyeok [999] maintaining his silence on my shoulder spoke up.
I broke out in a smirk.
‘Are you scared?’
I accessed the scenario window to confirm my goal.
<Hidden Scenario – Verifying Agreement>
Type: Hidden
Difficulty: ???
Clear condition: Introduce ‘Outer Gods’ to the <Star Stream>’s main Great Fable. However, they must not be introduced in the existing role of ‘Outer Gods’ as before.
Time limit: 100 days
Reward: Outer Gods’ trust, ???
Failure: You will lose all of your memories and transform into an Outer God.
* During the progress of the applicable scenario, you must not contact <Kim Dok-Ja Company> and reveal your identity. If this condition is violated, the transformation into an ‘Outer God’ will accelerate.
* Warning! Your identity is on the verge of being discovered.
* Currently, the rate of Outer God transformation is accelerating due to the poor condition of your Incarnation Body.
As I thought, reading it again only confirmed my suspicion.
‘Even if I become an Outer God, I still won’t fail the scenario. Becoming one is simply the ‘penalty’ for failing the scenario, not the ‘condition’ leading to its failure.’
‘No, it is different. I’ll be turning into an Outer God first before failing the scenario itself.’
The time limit of the ‘Hidden Scenario’ I got from the Wenny King was 100 days. Meaning, I only had to accomplish my task in that time frame.
The problem had to do with the ‘transformation into an Outer God’ bit.
“The reason why I’m transforming quickly into an Outer God isn’t that I failed the scenario, but due to the bad condition of my Incarnation Body. So….”
‘Right.’
I nodded my head and studied our immediate front. It seemed that [999] had finally realised what my goal was.
[Shares of ‘Outer God’ in the applicable Fable currently is 12.171%.]
[In order to complete the scenario, you must secure over 30% of the shares for ‘Outer God’.]
At this rate, I’d not be able to meet that goal even if I got my hands on the sacred texts and acquire the Great Fable. However, what if I became an Outer God….?
[Your role in the applicable Fable is ‘Sun Wukong’.]
[Your share in the applicable Fable is 22.51%.]
What if the role of the greatest Yogoe, ‘Sun Wukong’, was played by an Outer God, and what if my goal was accomplished by doing so….?
‘What do you mean?’
‘Won’t lose anything….’
‘I’m sure that’s the case. He’s Yu Jung-Hyeok, after all.’
I didn’t reply to him. [999] continued on as he scanned the Constellations of <Emperor> rushing towards us.
So, that was the reason why these ‘kkoma Yu Jung-Hyeoks’ existed, I see.
I lightly nodded my head and replied.
‘I know what I’ll have to pay.’
‘Because… I have to do it.’
I replied with a simple grin.
I slowly blinked, and during those short moments of darkness, the figures of the ‘Outer Gods’ brushed past my mind.
[AhAhAhAhAhAh]
[SavemeSavemeSavemSavemeSaveme]
[MymemoriesMymemoriesMymemories]
The Outer Gods.
Creatures born out of all the countless world-lines where Yu Jung-Hyeok had failed.
The worlds that allowed me to live on until now. The traces of the worlds that I loved so much.
‘How can I make any other choice after seeing the truth?’
Especially so, when I could still clearly hear them even now?
Kuwaaaaaah!
An energy blast destroyed the log I was riding on. But I simply ran on the surface of the water by using the scattered debris.
[‘Way of the Wind’ is accelerating even further.]
[Way of the Wind’ is evolving due to your speed that has reached its limit.]
My leg speed gradually picked up and soon, I began running on the water without the debris serving as footholds.
[You have understood the pinnacle of ‘Walking on Water’.]
[Due to the usage of an excessive amount of Status, the damage to your Incarnation Body has worsened!]
[Outer God transformation rate: 98.6%]
My heart began pounding away in an ominous rhythm.
[Outer God transformation rate: 98.7%]
That beating noise, it was the sound of me becoming something that was no longer ‘me’.
[999] said something to me, but I couldn’t hear him as the river exploded all around us. What I did hear, though, was another voice coming from the inside.
⸢Kim Dok Ja.⸥
[The 4th Wall] was talking to me.
⸢Thi s is in sa ne.⸥
It seemed that this guy had also been observing everything until now. But that was pretty obvious.
⸢Y ou w ill forg et ev eryt hing.⸥
⸢Kim Dok Ja no lo nge r w ill be Kim Dok Ja.⸥
[The 4th Wall] was right.
[Outer God transformation rate: 99.1%]
Once I become an ‘Outer God’, I’d lose every memory I acquired until now.
⸢Kim Dok-Ja was scared.⸥
It was a horrifying prospect when I thought about it.
⸢To lose all the memories he had made until this moment.⸥
I looked at the paragraphs rising above the wall and spoke up.
‘It’ll be fine. Because you remember everything, right?’
⸢Wha t?⸥
‘You’ve recorded everything about me, so I’ll never forget about myself.’
The normal me wouldn’t have tried something like this. I’d never want to experience losing all my memories, after all.
[‘The 4th Wall’ is greatly shaken up!]
However, I possessed [The 4th Wall]. I had no idea how I acquired this skill, but nevertheless, this Wall recorded everything the moment this story began.
I recalled the sight beyond the Wall – the Library shrouded in forlorn yet cosy darkness, as well as the Librarians that greatly cared about the place.
The important story of the ‘Ways of Survival’ that contained every Yu Jung-Hyeok regression turn had been recorded there, and….
….Even the unimportant life of ‘Kim Dok-Ja’ was recorded there, as well.
⸢That Library was recording everything about Kim Dok-Ja, even in this very moment.⸥
⸢Kim Dok-Ja’s breaths, his appearance, his laughter, and his manner of speech.⸥
⸢The food Kim Dok-Ja likes and the ones he dislikes. Songs he hummed occasionally. Expressions he makes when he’s sad or happy. His habit of muttering to himself when he’s not feeling confident, and the ensuing self-deprecation.⸥
⸢His habit of leaning his head slightly when worrying about the kids. The slight twitch of his eyelids as he closes his eyes after thinking about his mother. The smile he makes whenever he’s talking to Yu Sang-Ah. His arcing eyebrows and naughty smile whenever he’s making fun of Han Su-Yeong. The guilt when he thinks about Yi Hyeon-Seong. And….⸥
⸢The glint in his eyes when he recalls the story he loves.⸥
That was why I could say it openly like this.
‘I can just read from the beginning again.’
⸢B u t⸥
‘From the moment the subway arrived, all the way up to when I arrived here in the Journey to the West. I can just read them all again.’
The shell made out of light, fired from afar, landed near my feet.
I was swept away in the explosion of light and sunk into the water below. I flailed about and grabbed hold of a piece of nearby floating debris.
[Damage to your Incarnation Body is critical!]
[Outer God transformation rate: 99.3%]
I stood up and ran again.
I really had only a little more remaining.
‘Because I love reading the most in this world, after all.’
Breathing got heavier and harder.
[Outer God transformation rate: 99.4%]
It felt as if my memories were beginning to scatter away already, bit by bit.
A spear fired by one of the Nine Stars brushed past my shoulder. But the pain shooting up didn’t even feel like it belonged to me.
At that moment, I inexplicably recalled a post I made a long time ago in the online community portal.
I felt really bummed about the fact that the story I loved so much was coming to an end and so, posted such a thing online. Recalling it made me smile ever so faintly.
‘To think that I’d forget about such an entertaining story and read it from the beginning again. That’ll be a good thing in my case, actually.’
⸢Kim Dok Ja is an id iot.⸥
As if it was angry, [The 4th Wall] yelled back.
⸢I wo n’t t ell y ou an yth ing.⸥
Even if it was saying that, I knew it’d help me out anyway.
⸢I w on’t fo rgi ve y ou forg etting⸥
My skin was ripped up from the barrage of the firestorm and the pain akin to my back snapping in half tore through me.
[Exclusive skill, ‘The 4th Wall’, is strongly activating!]
And such pain was being blocked by [The 4th Wall].
I swung my fist at the Nine Stars pouncing on me. My knuckles ached as if they were punching hardened steel, but I didn’t back off.
[Great Fable, ‘Demon World’s Spring’, has begun its storytelling!]
[Great Fable, ‘Torch that Swallowed the Myth’, has begun its storytelling!]
….
…….
…….
[Setting of, ⸢I’ve become the retired SSSSS-grade Sun Wukong⸥, is activating.]
[Due to the ‘Retirement Penalty’, your will to fight has decreased.]
[Due to the ‘Retirement Penalty’, you can’t use all of your strength.]
….Come to think of it, I forgot about that stupid setting being in place.
All the power of the Fables wrapped around my body were quickly abandoning me.
[Block him!]
[He must not reach the sacred texts!]
The ruins housing the ‘sacred texts’ were right before my eyes. It was an island made out of granite, a treasure that withstood the hardships of a lengthy amount of time. The ‘answer’ that Tang Sanzang and his companions acquired after 14 years of journeying was there.
[Many audience members are looking at your Fable.]
[Judge, ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’, is waiting for your choice.]
[Judge, ‘Meihouwang’, is waiting for your answer.]
[Judge, ‘Bimawen’, is studying your Fable.]
[Judge, ‘Sakyamuni’s Successor’, is looking at you.]
Everyone on this ride along with me was staring at this very moment together.
[Outer God transformation rate: 99.7%]
The Nine Stars desperately blocked my path. Fei Hu’s Tang Sanzang was hurriedly running towards the ‘sacred texts’ in the meantime.
If I wasted any more time here, then more Constellations from <Emperor> would arrive and I’d not be able to retrieve the sacred texts.
[Score: 50412]
[Ranking of the applicable Fable chamber is 1st.]
I looked up into the sky.
[Scenario Master is looking at you.]
For some reason, I had this feeling that, if it was her, she should’ve realised it a long time ago.
That she knew already who I really was.
And why… I had to keep my identity a secret from my companions.
For some reason, I had this baseless hunch that she knew everything but decided to feign ignorance until now.
And then, the Scenario Master’s voice came to me next.
(….Goddammit.)
I smirked after hearing that. As the Constellations rushed at me, a new narration began to unfold.
(Sun Wukong looked at his enemies.)
(He had already fought against them in his previous life.)
[Outer God transformation rate: 99.8%]
(All those tiresome battles.)
(He was a retired man, and he swore that he’d never fight again. However….)
I blinked my eyes while listening to the narration that sounded like a lovingly-crafted letter.
Right, if it was you, I knew you’d have figured it out already.
….Figured out how this story would conclude.
(As he slowly clenched his fists, strength from a long time ago welled up uncontrollably.)
[Your ‘Retirement Penalty’ has been completely removed.]
(Heaven’s Equal, the power to control the clouds and lightning of the sky.)
[Fifth Bookmark has been initiated!]
[Exclusive skill, ‘Lightning Transformation Lv.23(+13), has been initiated.]
[Your ‘Status’ is overcoming the physique requirement penalty.]
Pure-white physical energy swirled around; the electrical arcs from the [Lightning Transformation] tore into the heavens above and destroyed the stars of the Lords of the Nine Stars.
(He was called the ‘Saviour’ because he saved many with his fists. And he was called the ‘Demon King’ because he killed many living creatures.)
Jet-black wings tore out of my shoulder blades.
(And that was why he was the ‘Demon King of Salvation’.)
(These were memories of the distant past.)
I shifted my gaze back and saw the corpses of Outer Gods dyeing the Tongtian River’s waters.
(Back when he reigned supreme at the zenith of all ‘Yogoes’.)
(He ruled Yogoes, he fought, and in the end, was defeated.)
(The lengthy journey changed him, and through his awakening, he became a Buddha.)
They had died as the expendables for the sake of this scenario.
(And this was the result of his awakening.)
The headband on my head began hurting me. Even when suffering from this pain, I still dashed forward.
Powerful Constellations of <Emperor> pounced on me next.
[Stop him!]
[He must never lay his hands on the sacred….!!]
(For the sake of all the Yogoes that died….)
(He decided to become the ‘Demon King of Salvation’ one more time.)
[Demon King, ‘Demon King of Salvation’, is revealing his Status.]
Every Constellation before my eyes was flung away as blinding light exploded. And beyond that light, a single book was waiting for me.
I reached out towards the ‘sacred texts’.
[Outer God transformation rate: 99.9%]
[Your existence is evolving into an ‘Outer God’.]
<Episode 82. Outer God (7)> Fin.
