Chapter 520: 520

Han Su-Yeong continued to experience this weird feeling every single day for the last three months . It all started rather innocuously, though .

– Yu Jung-Hyeok, did you know?

– Know what?

– That guy, he enjoys his tomatoes now .

At first, she dismissed it as just a trivial little change . Scenarios were over now, so the dude must be changing bit by bit too, or so she thought .

– Hey, Kim Dok-Ja . Why are you so absent-minded lately?

– Uh? Uhm . . . . .

– By the way, are you sure that the scenarios are really over? Why isn’t the system gone? You can still use your skills, right?

– Mm . . . It might take a little while longer for everything to go away .

The scenarios were over, but the world didn’t immediately revert back to normal . As if, there was a story that hadn’t ended yet . The proof of that was how people still could use their skills or Stigmata .

– To be more specific, you can’t say that everything is over until we find the ‘original author’ of that novel first .

Han Su-Yeong agreed with Yu Jung-Hyeok’s opinion . It was possible that this world existed because the ‘Most Ancient Dream’ read the ‘Ways of Survival’ in the first place .

Before all that, though, was the author who penned the novel in question . Meaning, this story would end only after they found that creature first .

– Just who is tls123? We came up with a few guesses so far, but they were all wrong, right? The most plausible candidate, ‘Most Ancient Dream’, didn’t look like the author either, and . . . . hey, Kim Dok-Ja . What do you think?

The one with the highest likelihood of solving this quandary was Kim Dok-Ja, the reader that managed to read through all 3149 chapters of ‘Ways of Survival . ‘

However, his reply was this .

– Uh . . . I wonder . Well, I kinda wonder if that’s really important, now that we’ve come this far . . . .

Other people could say that, fine . However, he was none other than Kim Dok-Ja, the sole reader who read the entirety of ‘Ways of Survival’ till its end .

He was Kim Dok-Ja, the greatest reader Han Su-Yeong ever knew .

“Speak . Who the hell are you?”

That’s why Han Su-Yeong began wondering .

⸢If Kim Dok-Ja before my eyes is a fake, then . . . ⸥

“Su-Yeong-ssi! What are you . . . !”

Just as the voice of Yi Hyeon-Seong rushing in reached here, Shin Yu-Seung grabbed onto Han Su-Yeong’s wrist .

“What do you think you’re doing??”

“Noona!”

It was the same for Yi Gil-Yeong, as well . The boy awkwardly blocked her front and looked up at her with nervous eyes . The atmosphere of the companions changed drastically once they discovered her sharp dagger .

“Eonni, can you explain yourself?”

Yi Ji-Hye had put down the kitchen knife and before anyone noticed it, was standing next to Han Su-Yeong while gripping her Twin Dragon Sword .

Yi Seol-Hwa was completely taken aback, while Jeong Hui-Won’s eyes were narrowed to slits . And Yu Sang-Ah, calmly observing the unfolding situation unlike the others, was seen next .

Han Su-Yeong thought about something for a little while, then let go of Kim Dok-Ja’s collars while spitting out a long sigh . He plopped down powerlessly and looked up at her like a guilty man .

“This guy isn’t Kim Dok-Ja . I’m not talking about anyone else but Kim Dok-Ja here . No way he can’t remember that thing . “

“What are you talking about?”

“The ‘Ways of Survival . ‘”

After hearing that, the companions all simultaneously looked at Kim Dok-Ja’s face – at Kim Dok-Ja, who used to talk non-stop about the ‘Ways of Survival’ every day .

As if she was a lecturer trying to explain a migraine-inducing problem, Han Su-Yeong held her head and began laying out her case in a calm, logical manner . And even decided to add this at the end, too .

“What I said just now wasn’t from the ‘Ways of Survival’, but something from my own novel . There aren’t any scenes of the companions enjoying their meal by the Han River in the ‘Ways of Survival’, you see . “

“How do you know that, eonni? Did you actually read that novel, too?”

“Just the early parts . At least, I know for sure that no such scenes appear during the third regression turn . “

That prompted Jeong Hui-Won to retort . “Isn’t it possible to be mistaken about something like that? From the get-go, remembering every event happening in such a huge novel is . . . . “

“It is possible if it’s Kim Dok-Ja . Did you all forget how we managed to wrangle our way through the scenarios? And you really think that Kim Dok-Ja can’t remember?” Han Su-Yeong turned towards Kim Dok-Ja and growled menacingly . “Hey, you . Tell me how many times Yu Jung-Hyeok killed Asmodeus . “

Her question simply caused Kim Dok-Ja to dazedly look up at her face . She scowled deeply, but just before she could go on another tirade, his lips opened first .

“Han Su-Yeong . “

His voice sounded flat, monotonous . For a moment there, a certain expectation of ‘maybe . . . ‘ flashed past by Han Su-Yeong’s eyes . And then . . .

“My bad, but I really can’t remember . I haven’t been reading the ‘Ways of Survival’ lately, so . . . . “

“Look, look! This punk, he’s not Kim Dok-Ja . . . !”

“Ahjussi . “

The one to step in front of the dagger-brandishing Han Su-Yeong was Shin Yu-Seung . As if she was trying to mould a clay pot, she held Kim Dok-Ja’s hand with both of hers and asked him . “Do you remember what I wanted to eat by the Han River?”

The hands of Yu Jung-Hyeok standing not too far away and silently preparing the food came to a halt; the food wasn’t finished yet .

Kim Dok-Ja replied immediately . “It’s pizza and Cola . “

“Hyung! Me! What about me?”

“Gil-Yeong-ee? You wanted to eat chicken by the sea . My bad . We’ll definitely go to the seaside next time, okay?”

Yi Gil-Yeong’s and Shin Yu-Seung’s tearful eyes were now glaring at Han Su-Yeong .

She frowned deeply . “Hold up . Your questions are too easy . With only that, you can’t . . . . “

That prompted Jeong Hui-Won to step forward this time . “Dok-Ja-ssi . What’s the name of my sword?”

“The Judge’s Sword . I struggled so hard to get all the materials for it, too . “

“Dok-Ja-ssi, do you remember the very first item you gave me?”

“It was an aged iron shield, wasn’t it?”

The companions then began their barrage of questions as if it was a competition . Even Gong Pil-Du got in on the act, too .

“Oii, do you remember the penalty fee you paid me during the Chungmuro scenario?”

“But, I didn’t pay anything?”

“You son of a bitch . You better cough up or . . . !”

“Ahjussi, you told me this before, right? Ji-Hye-ya~, to be honest, I think you’re the prettiest among all the Kim-Com members . “

“I never said that . “

Yi Ji-Hye muttered “Dang it,” under her breath .

” . . . . He’s Dok-Ja ahjussi, alright . “

There was this vague sense of relief blooming on the expressions of the group .

Kim Dok-Ja observing this situation spoke up . “I don’t know what’s suddenly gotten into you, but I’m definitely Kim Dok-Ja . And Han Su-Yeong, why are you . . . . “

“Hey, do you even remember how many regression turns there are in the ‘Ways of Survival’?”

“Su-Yeong-ah . ” Jeong Hui-Won couldn’t let this go on any longer and stepped forward . “I don’t know why you’re acting like this, but we’re on a rare outing together, so please do it in moderation . “

“That’s right, Su-Yeong-ssi . There must’ve been some kind of a misunderstanding . . . . “

” . . . . . Misunderstanding??” Han Su-Yeong’s hand gripping the dagger trembled ever so slightly . “Hey, Yu Jung-Hyeok!! Don’t you have anything to say?!”

Yu Jung-Hyeok chopping up veggies in silence heard her call and shifted his disinterested eyes towards Han Su-Yeong . Then, he shifted his gaze over to Kim Dok-Ja, before glancing at the rest of the companions . Finally, he turned his attention back to the cutting board .

After observing that chain of events, Han Su-Yeong’s shoulders began trembling non-stop . “Y-you, really . . . . . “

Her head dropped, and that’s how she spotted a can of beer rolling on the floor . She picked it up and popped the lid open, then drank it all in one go . She wiped her lips in anger and spoke up .

“Screw it . . . . Fine, sure . I’m the lone weirdo among you, is that how it is?”

Maybe that one can wasn’t enough, she proceeded to pop the lid on another one .

“Fine . I know it’s been difficult for everyone, trying to break past the scenarios . I know full well that you’re too tired to think, and now you just wanna kick back and relax . You think I don’t wanna do that, too? I also wanna take it easy . “

Along with the ‘Puh-shushuk!’ noise, beer foams bubbled up vigorously .

“But then, you idiots, you really think this Kim Dok-Ja is the real deal?”

“Han Su-Yeong . “

“Shut up . Don’t call me by my name . “

Her cheeks were getting somewhat flushed now . Meanwhile, the Fable of [Predictive Plagiarism] was creaking into gear inside her head .

⸢It’s possible that the companions are right . She’s wrong, and it’s totally possible that this Kim Dok-Ja is the real thing . ⸥

Han Su-Yeong knew – just because he failed to remember a couple of scenes from the ‘Ways of Survival’, could she really use that to argue this Kim Dok-Ja wasn’t really Kim Dok-Ja?

The current her acted too hastily . She failed to be logical .

Even then, Han Su-Yeong couldn’t stop her emotions . Even as she herself failed to understand the reason behind her own strong reaction, she continued to mutter on .

“The ‘Kim Dok-Ja’ I remember is . . . . “

… . He was a man who could patiently read a boring novel filled with a ton of exposition that lasted well over three thousand chapters .

⸢”In the future when all the scenarios have ended, I may want to get back to writing novels again . When that happens, read my novel, okay?”⸥

A man who loved stories more than anyone in this whole world .

⸢”Fine, fine . I’ll definitely read it . “⸥

“But, it might be over three thousand chapters?”

“That’s probably right up my alley, then . “

“It might be boring, too . “

“It’s you writing it, so that’s not possible, you know . “

Such Kim Dok-Ja might forget about other things, but no way he’d forget about the ‘Ways of Survival’ .

Was this the fault of the alcohol? It felt as if the heat was gradually spreading even more inside her head .

⸢If this ‘Kim Dok-Ja’ is a fake, what does that signify?⸥

A trickery of the original author tls123? Or . . .

“Han Su-Yeong, why don’t we stop there, and . . . . “

A certain hypothesis popped up in her head as she looked at the expressions of her companions .

If what the Dokkaebi King said was the truth, then this world was nothing more than the delusion of the ‘Most Ancient Dream’ . Meaning, this world existed because ‘he’ continued to dream . But now, the ‘Most Ancient Dream’ was no more; he disappeared along with the ‘Secretive Plotter,’ as well as the characters from the 999th turn .

⸢In that case, how can this world continue to exist?⸥

This was a truly horrifying hunch . One that should never become reality . And perhaps, a hunch that had already become their reality .

The beer can in her hand fell and rolled around on the ground . Half-consumed liquor spilt out among the other similar-styled cans also rolling around on the floor . She stared at her can, now almost empty, and muttered out in a trance-like state .

“What if . . . this ‘Kim Dok-Ja’ is an ‘Avatar’ . . . . “

“Su-Yeong-ssi! What’s suddenly gotten into you, saying stuff like . . . . . !”

“You think I’m doing this for fun?!”

Her serious voice caused the expressions on several companions to change . Those that turned back all carried similar kind of looks on their faces now .

Han Su-Yeong .

The only Incarnation among the group that possessed both the [Predictive Plagiarism] as well as [Avatar] skills . It was her who took on the role of the Nebula’s brain whenever Kim Dok-Ja wasn’t around .

And her judgement was rarely, if ever, wrong .

Yi Hyeon-Seong slowly turned his head to stare at Kim Dok-Ja . Next up was Jeong Hui-Won, followed by Yi Ji-Hye . One by one, all the gazes were focusing on him now .

⸢What if Han Su-Yeong’s words are correct . . . . ⸥

A faint crack was spreading within their minds, an opening created by a very minute suspicion .

It was enough of an opening for Han Su-Yeong, though . “Whether he’s really an ‘Avatar’ or not, there is a simple way to find out . “

By the time Jeong Hui-Won felt the ominous foreboding, Han Su-Yeong was already gone from her spot .

“Han Su-Yeong!”

Yi Ji-Hye unsheathed her sword as fast as a bolt of lightning and rushed forward, but by then, Han Su-Yeong was already only a few steps away from Kim Dok-Ja . As the incredulous torrent of winds stormed in, Shin Yu-Seung let out an explosion of Dragon Howling; Yi Gil-Yeong’s insects were wrapping around Han Su-Yeong’s ankles like chains, while Yi Hyeon-Seong dashed in to cover Kim Dok-Ja’s figure .

Even then, Han Su-Yeong didn’t stop .

“The dude who’ll get to read my novel . . . . “

Strings flying out from Yu Sang-Ah’s hand restrained Han Su-Yeong’s waist, and Jeong Hui-Won belatedly making her move managed to grab hold of her target’s back . But, even as all these events were going down simultaneously, Han Su-Yeong’s dagger had already left her hand .

” . . . . isn’t you . “

Splat!

The sound of something splitting up resounded out next .

Fin .