Chapter 479: 479

[Fable, ‘Master of Steel’, has begun its storytelling!]

The walls of steel created by 999th turn’s Yi Hyeon-Seong blanketed the surroundings and expanded rapidly . This power was strong enough to even defend the entire planet when deployed within .

Kwa-kwakwakwakwa!

The expanding steel intertwined with the ⸢Stage Transformation⸥ and began creating the partitions of the subway .

This stage was utterly familiar to me . Even now, just by closing my eyes I’d be able to vividly recall this cabin from the first scenario .

[A Myth-grade Constellation’s ‘Stage’ has been generated!]

Tsu-chuchuchut!

Now originally, ⸢Stage Transformation⸥ was quite similar to augmented reality . In other words, the surrounding topography wouldn’t change simply because it had been transformed into a stage .

However, the case this time was slightly different .

[ is paying close attention to your ‘Stage’ . ]

[The absolute majority of Constellations are watching the ‘Stage’ . ]

[Great Dokkaebis are jealous of your ‘Stage’ . ]

[Due to the large number of gazes, the stage grade of the ‘Stage Transformation’ is increasing!]

’s Probability was directly linked to the number of gazes watching on . A scenario that a large number of beings watched was able to generate a powerful Fable, and a stage watched by many could generate sizeable impact in return .

The anticipation carried within those countless gazes could shift the Probability, in other words .

⸢On that day, the Demon of Delusions and the Demon King of Salvation met for the first time in that place . ⸥

And the shifting Probability could sometimes turn ‘fake’ into ‘reality’ .

[Due to the effects of the ‘Disconnected Film Theory’, the materialisation of the ‘Stage Transformation’ is incomplete!]

[Within the applicable stage, the Characters ‘Kim Nam-Woon’ and the ‘Monarch of the Great Abyss’ will be treated as the same individual . ]

[The ‘Monarch of the Great Abyss’s’ stage compatibility is 87 . 351%!]

[The possibility of a sudden end exists . ]

The fake becoming real on stage could only occur for a brief period of time . While everyone was focusing here, before the mysteriousness of this stage came undone – I had to finish everything .

[[You . . . !!]]

I unhesitantly approached Kim Nam-Woon . I didn’t sense myself growing any stronger from the effects of the Stage Transformation . However, I was filled with confidence, instead . The kind that a wolf might feel when hunting down a rabbit .

[[What kind of dogshit is this?!]]

The enraged 999th turn’s Kim Nam-Woon pounced on me . Since he was under the influence of the ⸢Stage Transformation⸥, his mobility had become quite sluggish, as if he was that Kim Nam-Woon from the first scenario whose average stat points didn’t even reach 10 .

The problem was, my own body was no different from back then during the first scenario, too .

Swiiish!

I lowered my head and dodged the dagger . I was reading the direction of his attacks through the [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint] so evading him wasn’t that difficult .

[The rules of the ‘first scenario’ will apply to the applicable ‘Stage’!]

[Incarnation Bodies within the ‘Stage’ will grow stronger by killing another life . ]

Memories continued to resurface .

Right . We fought like this back in the first scenario . Just for the sake of 100 Coins as our survival fee, people had to die .

Just for those 100 Coins, people killed each other .

We managed to survive such a world .

[Many Constellations are recalling their ‘first scenarios’ . ]

The 999th turn’s Kim Nam-Woon pressed down on his temples as if he was suffering from migraine, then began cackling at me . [[Haha . . . So, this is how you want to play it? Quite interesting . ]]

“But, you don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself at all?”

His glare was filled with the prickly killing intent .

[The ‘Monarch of the Great Abyss’s’ stage compatibility has decreased slightly!]

Even if the effects of the ⸢Stage Transformation⸥ was absolute, this particular stage was recreated through a simple trick . The longer I took, the weaker the connection between the 999th turn’s Kim Nam-Woon to his 3rd turn counterpart would become .

[What the hell, grasshopper man! What’s going on here? What’s happening?!]

The 3rd turn’s Kim Nam-Woon raised himself up in the corner . He had been altered into a small toy robot due to the effects of the ⸢Stage Transformation⸥ . He awkwardly clung onto my leg .

The 999th turn’s Kim Nam-Woon saw this scene and muttered out . [[How disappointing . To think that I’d get killed by a bastard like him and end up as a trashcan robot . ]]

[What the hell are you talking about? You wanna die, buddy?? Hey, grasshopper man! Kill that son of a bitch!]

[If there is no killing taking place in the next five minutes, all Incarnation Bodies within the cabin will be exterminated!]

This would be my first time seeing the ⸢Stage Transformation⸥ imposing such a strict restriction .

Wasn’t this almost at the level of an actual main scenario?

[[Die!]]

The dagger sliced the air and flew right in . I used the surrounding objects to dodge the attacks . The movements of my body might have become dull, but I was not the same Kim Dok-Ja as I used to be back then .

Kim Nam-Woon’s attacks scratched the subway’s steel doors and floors . The power behind each of his thudding attacks was gradually getting stronger .

The aura of Chaos was faintly swirling around him . The effects of the ⸢Stage Transformation⸥ on him was already declining . The odds of victory would tilt towards his favour if this continued on .

However, the 999th turn’s Kim Nam-Woon seemed to be getting more and more anxious, instead .

[Character, ‘Monarch of the Great Abyss’, is getting agitated . ]

[Character, ‘Monarch of the Great Abyss’, is urgently surveying his surroundings . ]

Why was this? Why did his complexion look so poor? I took a closer look to find his cheeks and neck soaked in cold sweat .

[Character, ‘Monarch of the Great Abyss’, detests this space . ]

[[You rat-like bastard . . . . !!]]

[A portion of Constellations are suspicious of the ‘Outer God King’s’ Status . ]

[A small number of Constellations are scorning the small fry-like utterance . ]

The movements of the 999th turn’s Kim Nam-Woon were getting simpler perhaps due to his increasing anxiety .

[If there is no killing taking place in the next three minutes, all Incarnation Bodies within the cabin will be exterminated!]

Three minutes remained .

“Dok-Ja-ssi? What’s going on here . . . ?”

And that was when I heard a certain voice . Kim Nam-Woon and I both turned our heads in the direction of where that voice came from .

And immediately, chills ran down on my spine .

⸢There was another who bore witness to their fight in that place . ⸥

I had forgotten about it .

⸢The most righteous person in the carriage number 3807 on that day . ⸥

… . That I and Kim Nam-Woon weren’t the only people riding in that subway that day .

[[Hahahahaha!!!]]

Kim Nam-Woon exploded in the fit of maddened laughter, abandoned me, and rushed towards Yu Sang-Ah .

Perhaps due to the effects of the ⸢Stage Transformation⸥, she was now kitted out in the uncomfortable outfit she had on during the first scenario .

He closed the distance in an instant and his dagger was swung towards her .

As the blade scythed the air with a sharp swish . . . .

Slice-!

Sliced strands of hair danced in the air . Yu Sang-Ah and her hardened expression were using agile movements to evade Kim Nam-Woon’s attacks . As a matter of fact, she was far more agile than I was .

[[Not bad!]]

[Character, ‘Monarch of the Great Abyss’, has received the effects of ‘Blackening’!]

However, his movements should grow faster and faster with passing time .

⸢On that day, the Demon of Delusions came to understand his new world . ⸥

The effects of the Stage Transformation was getting stronger .

⸢ . . . . That a new set of rules was needed in a brand new world . ⸥

I could see Yu Sang-Ah’s complexion getting paler and paler .

There was no time . I needed to find a way . Somehow I . . .

“Hyung . “

A small hand tugged at my clothes .

⸢If that boy didn’t catch any insects that day . . . . ⸥

Yi Gil-Yeong was also here, with a babyish face of a young boy . He looked exactly like how I remembered during the first scenario .

The boy in despair after losing his parent was extending his palm out with a determined expression .

[Constellation, ‘Ruler of the Deepest Pit’, is laughing ominously . ]

Several bright-yellow grasshoppers rested on the boy’s palm .

“Thanks . “

I grabbed the grasshoppers and started running . The insects were then crushed along with crunching noises .

[You killed a lifeform . ]

[Your Incarnation Body has been strengthened due to the effects of the Stage Transformation!]

[You killed a lifeform . ]

[Your Incarnation Body has been strengthened due to the effects of the Stage Transformation!]

… . . .

My physical strength increased explosively as I ran inside the cabin .

The back of Kim Nam-Woon’s head, currently cackling away like a madman, was now right before my nose .

[[Die! Die!! Die! Dieeee!]]

I simply grabbed the nape of his neck and slammed the bastard down on the subway’s floor . His legs trembled like an insect being crushed .

[[You son of a . . . !]]

He swiftly jumped out from my grasp and swung his dagger in my direction . I didn’t bother to dodge that .

Kah-gagagagak!

Because, there was no need to .

⸢The knife continued to leave behind scratches . Although blood did trickle down, the blade failed to gouge out the flesh beneath the skin . ⸥

The final scenes of the first scenario flitted past my view as if it was overlapping with reality .

Kim Nam-Woon’s attacks continued to get faster, but he failed to break past Yi Hyeon-Seong’s strengthened [Steel Transformation] .

[[This, just what the hell is this . . . . ]]

The 999th turn’s Kim Nam-Woon spat out expletives and wielded his dagger . However, no matter how many times he swung it, there was no use .

Because, the end of this ‘Stage’ was already set in stone .

“Looks like you only have two minutes remaining . “

[[Uwaaaaaah!!]]

Kim Nam-Woon and his distorted expression swung his dagger indiscriminately . Only his poor blade ended up breaking, however, and it fell to the ground . One minute thirty seconds, then one minute twenty . . . As time continued to tick down, Kim Nam-Woon’s figure slowly crumbled to the ground .

It wasn’t because he simply lost all his strength . What attacked him was a sin far more fundamental in nature .

⸢The foundational Fable of Kim Nam-Woon, the Demon of Delusion . ⸥

The surrounding space began distorting; the pool of blood was now spreading on the once-empty floor of the cabin . It was not the blood we had shed .

[[There’s, there’s just no way . . . . !]]

The shivering 999th turn’s Kim Nam-Woon plopped down on the spot .

[Great Fable, ‘Delusional Design’, is losing control!]

Right here in this place was where his Fable, ‘Delusional Design’ had germinated .

Kim Nam-Woon relied on [Abnormal Adaptability] to forge a new world he had to live in – but what about the version of him who had witnessed the end of that ‘world’? What kind of meaning did that world hold for him?

[[C-crap like t-this, won’t . . . . !]]

Corpses on the floor were glaring at us, their eyes wide open .

Those that I failed to protect – those with their heads missing or their hearts pierced through . Those dying while vomiting blood were now looking at us .

Kim Nam-Woon’s face shook hard as if he was having a seizure . It was an expression that didn’t suit him .

“Are you feeling the guilt after having come this far?”

The 999th turn’s Kim Nam-Woon trembled and looked up at me, his lips bobbing up and down .

⸢”You’re right, I’m trash . So what??”⸥

Kim Nam-Woon from the initial regression turns would’ve definitely said that . However, even such a guy had said something different during the 999th turn .

⸢” . . . . I’ve been thinking about this sometimes . Maybe I should’ve been the one to die that day . Captain, you also think that way, don’t you?”⸥

The psychopath, Kim Nam-Woon, the Demon of Delusion .

Even after I finished reading the entirety of the original novel, my opinion on that guy hadn’t changed .

[Exclusive skill, ‘Reading Comprehension’, is activating!]

However, that couldn’t have been Kim Nam-Woon’s everything . The ‘Ways of Survival’ I read was no doubt nothing more than just the tip of an iceberg called this world .

And so, the ‘Kim Nam-Woon’ I didn’t know must have existed somewhere, too .

Kim Nam-Woon, who ended up seeing a world’s end for someone’s sake .

Kim Nam-Woon, capable of wandering aimlessly for forty thousand years out of his love for someone .

Kim Nam-Woon, carrying on the sake of protecting his loyalty to his comrades .

What if such a Kim Nam-Woon existed in the world somewhere . . . . ?

And what if such a Kim Nam-Woon was the one who saw the end of the 999th turn . . . . ?

[[I, I . . . I . . . . ]]

His delusion was being eaten away .

That was the history he endured on by exchanging away his personality; the ego of the Kim Nam-Woon, a second-year student from Cheongil High School, was now leaking out from its hidden spot beneath his mask .

[[I . . . I killed . . . . them . . . That’s right, I . . . . ]]

The shivering Kim Nam-Woon held his broken dagger and began sobbing away .

“Right . You did kill them . “

As I said that, I took a look at the rear of the subway .

I saw Yi Hyeon-Seong’s steel tunnel, now merged with the ⸢Stage Transformation⸥ . And this near-endless tunnel was overflowing with corpses .

The ‘Nameless Ones’, their names now long forgotten, were crying out .

“And they are the people I didn’t save . “

⸢A new world requires a new story . ⸥

That was the price for completing the ‘One Single Fable’ .

We lived for the purpose of completing this petty ‘gi-seung-jeon-gyeol’ .

[Your ‘hidden scenario’ is on the verge of completion!]

[All of your Fables are desiring your ‘Conclusion’!]

[Every Constellation in can sense that your ‘Conclusion’ is drawing near!]

And now, I had to see the end of this damn story .

[[Ah, aaah, aaaah . . . . !]]

The focus in Kim Nam-Woon’s eyes blurred and he brought the tip of the broken blade closer to his neck .

[15 seconds remaining until the application of the ‘Stage Transformation’s’ rules . ]

[Once the time limit has been reached, all Incarnations who didn’t obey the rules will be killed instantly . ]

Yu Sang-Ah and Yi Gil-Yeong were looking at this side . Even the 3rd turn’s Kim Nam-Woon, currently in the figure of a toy robot, was looking at me also .

If the time limit elapsed in this fashion, then the 999th turn’s Kim Nam-Woon would die for sure on this stage . The stage itself might be fake, but his Fable infused to this place was all real .

He’d die in this place . Just like those he had killed . Or, like how it was for him in the 3rd turn .

He’d die a miserable death while accepting his ‘life’ .

The problem, however, was with the 3rd turn’s Kim Nam-Woon . He’d also perish due to the fact that he was connected to his 999th turn counterpart through the ‘Disconnected Film Theory’ .

I couldn’t let that happen .

[The ‘Stage Transformation’ has been cancelled!]

The surrounding landscape changed and the stage disappeared . The memories connected through the [Disconnected Film Theory] were fading away . The subway scattered away, and all the actors involved also returned to their previous positions .

However, the 999th turn’s Kim Nam-Woon remained on his knees .

Certain stories, despite being fake, possessed power as if they were real deal . The stage might be gone now, but the original sin didn’t go away .

His ruined and frayed Fable was scattering away . I quietly stared at him and his lowered head, before lightly kicking away the dagger he was still holding .

“Kim Nam-Woon, you can’t be saved . “

Then, I pulled out the [Unbreakable Faith] . The gleaming white swordlight seemed to screech out from the blade . I deliberately raised the sword up high so that everyone could see me . And then . . .

[Every Constellation of is waiting expectantly of the ‘Outer God King’s’ death!]

[[No!!]]

Along with a horrifying, desperate cry coming from somewhere, my [Unbreakable Faith] cut something down .

Fin .