Chapter 365.

[Chameleon Troupe’s Sanctuary]

Boss gathered every member of the Chameleon Troupe to their sanctuary . The cave Kim Hajin modified in the past was still in excellent condition . Thanks to the Goblin Tablet’s goblin servants, the place was spotless and even looked better than before .

There, Boss made a simple announcement . Although the content of the announcement was grave, everyone took it lightly as they had expected it .

Boss had announced the disbanding of the Chameleon Troupe .

“…What are you going to do from now~?”

After a short disbanding ceremony, Jain approached Cheok Jungyeong, who was sitting on the couch and asked . Cheok Jungyeong glanced up at her before shrugging his shoulders .

“I don’t know . ”

Considering the reason the Chameleon Troupe was formed, it only made sense to disband it now . Boss had formed the new Chameleon Troupe to avenge Yi Yeonjun, but now that the truth was revealed… well, everything had become quite a mess .

“Where’s Boss? And what is she doing?”

When Cheok Jungeong asked, Jain grinned and shook her head .

“Boss~? She’s not our boss anymore~ She’s our ‘club’ leader now~”

Jain projected a hologram with her smartwatch .

[Social Club – Colored Calves]

[Club Leader – Yi Byul]

[Club Member – 6]

“I’ll send you an invitation too~”

“… . ”

Cheok Jungyeong gave a displeased glance . Still, he turned on his smartwatch and applied .

Jain continued talking as she grinned brightly .

“Yesterday, she buried Yi Yeonjun’s corpse in Pandemonium… and today, she said she’d atone for her sins for the rest of her life . ”

“…Atone for her sins?”

“Yep . She apparently made a promise with Hajin . ”

“Atone how?”

“I don’t know~ But Boss has enough wealth to feed a country~ Since there are many orphans right now, it’ll be perfect~”

“… . ”

Cheok Jungyeong sighed quietly .

Atoning for one’s sins .

Was that something they could do? The sin of killing a thousand people couldn’t be washed away just because one saved a million others . The people they had to seek forgiveness from were already dead . And even if they came back to life, the only way to ask for their forgiveness would be to offer them their own heads .

“Why? You want to do it too~?”

“No . ”

Cheok Jungyeong replied immediately . It was so quick that Jain was taken aback slightly .

Then, Cheok Jungyeong stood up . Koong-! Koong-! Perhaps because he had just returned from killing the remnant demons, his huge, muscular body created inhuman rumbles as it moved .

“I’d rather have someone kill me for vengeance than do that . Well, I doubt anyone can kill me though . ”

“…Pft . ”

Jain smiled faintly .

In truth, she agreed with Cheok Jungyeong . Boss was probably the only one in the Chameleon Troupe who even considered ‘atoning for one’s sins’ . Everyone else knew they had killed far too many people and committed far too many sins to turn back now .

“Well then, why don’t we go do our work~?”

“…Work?”

Jain made a suggestive smile .

When Cheok Jungyeong narrowed his eyes, Jain took out a thick envelope .

“What’s this?”

“Mm… probably the incident that Boss wants to make right~?”

Cheok Jungyeong snatched the envelope . The first page of the document inside the envelope had the words [Data Related to Kwang-Oh Incident] printed in huge letters . Cheok Jungyeong looked down at Jain without even reading the document .

“You know I don’t read . Explain . ”

“Mn~ Well, it’s simple~ You know that there are secretly three Association Heads, right~?”

Cheok Jungyeong nodded his head . Although ‘Yi Yukho’ was the official Head of the Hero Association, there were also ‘Kim Sukho’ and ‘Yoo Jangwon’ working in the shadows . Kim Sukho was a former president of Korea, and Yoo Jangwon was a sly weasel who was a Master-rank Hero until his retirement .

“We’ll kill them all . ”

“…All three of them?”

Cheok Jungyeong widened his eyes and asked .

But as if it was too early to be surprised, Jain clapped her hands and continued .

“Yep, and also Chae Joochul and Yoo Jinwoong . ”

“What—?! Chae Joochul and Yoo Jinwoong—?!”

“Yep~ Why~? Are you scared~?”

Jain licked her lips and provoked Cheok Jungyeong .

Cheok Jungyeong stared into Jain’s eyes for a moment before smiling as expected . He then burst into laughter .

“Uhahahaha—! Jain, I didn’t know you were so feisty—!”

Cheok Jungyeong could practically feel his muscles heating up in excitement . He didn’t care too much about Kim Suho and Yi Yukho, but Chae Joochul and Yoo Jinwoong? He saw them as perfect opponents for someone of his skill .

“When are we starting? What’s the plan!?”

“We don’t need to do anything . Kim Sukho is looking for us . He’ll come to us eventually . ”

“Uhaha, he’s looking for us? Really—!?”

This was even more surprising . Who would have thought that the prey was searching for the predator?

“Yep . We used to be his hunting dog a long time ago . He wants to bury that past~”

What a stupid old man . Jain murmured as she shook her head .

Cheok Jungyeong asked, still with a big grin on his face .

“So who’s participating?”

“Droon, Kaita, Jin Yohan, Khalifa, and Setryn . Arashi wants to focus on his research, and Yoo Kyunghwan said he’ll be retiring to live peacefully with his lover . ”

“Then… Kuhum . ”

Cheok Jungyeong let out a dry cough and glanced at Jain . He seemingly having something to say .

“We’re missing… a few people . ”

“Right . ”

“So it will be okay to bring someone with us . ”

“Hm? Who? I think we have more than enough~”

“Mmm… . You see, I know a thing or two about this Kwang-Oh Incident… . ”

At that moment, the conversation came to a stop .

A strange sensation brushed past Cheok Jungyeong and Jain’s heads . But they couldn’t tell what it was . Being dull, Cheok Jungyeong tried to continue what he was saying, but he soon stopped, feeling that something was wrong .

“Right, this Kwang-Oh Incident… . ”

He couldn’t remember a name .

“What is it~? Just say it~”

“No… Um, what was his name? The Black Seat… . ”

“Hajin?”

“Oh, right, Hajin . Is this related to Hajin?”

Hajin .

For a moment, he couldn’t remember that name .

It was a name he could never forget, so why? Did he hurt his head while he was fighting?

Jain spoke, “Yeah, you’re right . That’s the day Boss met Hajin for the first time . She killed everyone in the evacuation shelter except Hajin . ”

“…Anyways, I know someone else who’s related to that incident . ”

“Really~? Who~?”

Jain pretended to be surprised and perked up her ears .

“I doubt she’ll want to work with trash like us, but… it’s Jin Seyeon . ”

“What? Jin Seyeon!?”

This time, she really was surprised .

“Yeah . ”

Jin Seyeon had personally told Cheok Jungyeong during their forced stay inside the Colosseum . Jin Seyeon tried to evoke sympathy from Cheok Jungyeong by revealing her past so that she could dig information related to how the Chameleon Troupe was involved with ‘Kwang-Oh Incident’ . Of course, it was futile . Cheok Jungyeong had known very little about the incident .

“Jin Seyeon has a grudge against them too . She said her father died because of them . ”

Jain stared at Cheok Jungyeong with a surprised look . Then, she made a strange smile .

“Interesting~ I’m fine with it, but if she gets involved, there might be no deaths~”

The mastermind behind the ‘Kwang-Oh Incident’ was without a doubt ‘Kim Sukho’ and his supporter, ‘Yi Yukho’ . After that, in order of responsibility, it would be Chae Joochul, then Yoo Jangwon, then Yoo Jinwoong .

If Jin Seyeon suddenly interfered in this matter, she might try to resolve the matter in a ‘moral’ way .

Cheok Jungyeong spoke, “I know . But it’s nice to have someone like that . Kind of like that guy… uh… the Black Seat . ”

“Hajin?”

“Right, right . It’s more fun if there’s someone like him . You know, different opinions clashing and creating unexpected situations . ”

Cheok Jungyeong grinned . Jain also smiled . But the reason for Jain’s smile was slightly different than Cheok Jungyeong’s .

Jin Seyeon would undoubtedly suggest capturing them to make them be ‘punished by the law’ . In other words, what Cheok Jungyeong was hoping – killing until one side was dead – would not happen .

Despite this, Cheok Jungyeong wanted to invite her .

Jain guessed why, and that was what made her smile .

“Fine~ Let her know . I doubt she’ll say yes so easily, though . ”

“She will if I tell her . Anyways, I’ll contact her . ”

Cheok Jungyeong turned on his smartwatch .

[Jin Seyeon]

The number she gave him was stored in it . He was reluctant at the time and thought he would never call her .

With a relaxed smile, Cheok Jungyeong pressed the call-button .

Tu— Tu—

As the dial rang, Cheok Jungyeong’s heartbeat began to quicken . He pretended to be oblivious as to what this meant, while secretly telling himself it was a feeling of competition . After all, Jin Seyeon was a Master-rank Hero .

**

I revived .

This was the second revival I experienced from my Unique skill, [Clockhand of Fate], but it wasn’t any more pleasant than the first one .

Death was still death, and the fear and pain from the dying moment remained vivid in my mind .

This time, I even experienced what one would call ‘life flashing before one’s eyes’ .

But strangely, most of what I saw was from ‘this world’ .

Not the world I was born in, but the world I was currently living in .

Perhaps, I’ve been done in .

Me from Earth and me from this world . There was a huge difference between the two, to the point that it was impossible to compare them .

If I had to describe it, me from Earth was just an extra . I wasn’t special in any way and was just an author losing popularity .

But in this world… .

“Agh!”

At that moment, a sharp pain shot up from my heart, almost as if it was scolding my self-reproach .

I clutched my chest and rolled around on the ground .

Thankfully, unbearable pain soon disappeared .

“Haa, haa… . ”

I took several hard breaths . After regaining my calm, I realized it was strange that no one was looking for me . After all, I should have made quite a racket rolling around just now .

Only then did I look around my surroundings .

“…Where am I?”

There was no one here .

Boss, Jain, Kim Suho, Cheok Jungyeong, Chae Nayun, Yoo Yeonha, Rachel, Evandel… no one .

The ground I was lying on was white and soft like a field of snow . But it wasn’t cold . I picked up a handful of snow . Ppk- ppk- I could mold this ‘snow’, but it was warm .

On the other hand, the sky was dark . It was dark, but bright because of the stars . They were crystal-clear, so much so that I felt like I could grasp them if I just reached out .

Absorbed in this beautiful scenery, I didn’t think about the system alerts until some time later .

“Oh right, the system . ”

There were several messages I didn’t get to read .

[The final arc, ‘Final Name’, has been completed . ]

[All SP has been retrieved . ]

[▷??? is revealed . ]

[▷Decision]

[You can now make a decision as the author… . ]

It was then . Ssk- I heard the sound of footsteps on the snowy field . I immediately turned my head .

There, a man I didn’t recognize was walking toward me .

He looked ordinary in every way . Neither his face nor physique stood out .

“Nice to meet you, Kim Hajin-ssi . Since the final arc ended, I’ve come to see you to fulfill my promise . ”

However, what he said wasn’t ordinary whatsoever . In fact, it was extraordinary to the point it shook my heart . I looked up at him while sitting dazedly on the ground .

He smiled nonchalantly and bowed .

“I am the co-author . Thank you for clearing the story I continued as I pleased . ”

Looking at him, all sorts of thoughts popped up in my head . However, none of them came out of my mouth . They floated up like bubbles and only stayed at the top of my head .

But this man seemed to have read my mind, as he answered what I was most curious about .

“Ah, you must be wondering who I am . I am someone with a similar job as you . I guess you could call me a scenario writer . The official name is ‘Dimensional Author’ . Ah, it’s not a job that exists for the purpose of satisfying someone . Like I said before, it’s a ‘self-gratifying’ job . Unlike Hajin-ssi, I am not from a ‘pinnacle-ranked dimension’, so my job is determined at birth . A so-called vocation, if you will . Anyways, I am not a human, but a universal existence . ”

I couldn’t understand what he said . The man also threw out too much information .

Seeing that I was staring at him blankly, the man chuckled and waved his hand side to side .

“Haha, of course, we’re nothing compared to your kind . ‘Universal existence’ might sound grand, but we’re only beings derived from the novels of the ‘pinnacle-ranked dimension’ . Well, we’re in a better spot comparatively since we can at least create lesser dimensions… . Anyways, I’m sure this isn’t enough to answer your questions, so I will explain as simply and clearly as I can . ”

Kuhum . The man cleared his throat and poured out a flurry of words .

“A long, long time ago, I was born to create a dimension . So I wandered trying to find a dimension I could create . But with my power, it was impossible to create a dimension . I needed the Permission of the Author – something possessed only by the pinnacle-ranked dimension’s creator, who created his own world . But at the time, I was too insignificant and could only observe the ‘pinnacle-ranked dimension’ . I worked hard for thousands of years and, in the end, the ‘pinnacle-ranked dimension’ succeeded in reaching the Digital World . That was truly a stroke of fortune from the heavens .

The man pretended to wipe off the sweat from his forehead .

“Really, what a relief that was . I was just as lucky as you, Hajin-ssi . ”

At that moment, a lightbulb shot up in my head .

“T-That [email protected]?”

“Yes, exactly . That’s me!”

The man clapped . I snapped out of my daze and spat out the first question .

“So… you’re some sort of a universal existence that can create dimensions . You were looking for novels you wanted to materialize and chose me?”

“Yes! You’re right!”

“W-Why? Why my novel?”

“Ah! It’s not because I wanted to . If I had a choice, I would have loved to materialize a masterpiece like The Silmarillion . There are many reasons, but most importantly, there aren’t many authors who would allow a published work, especially one that was being serialized, to be remade . As I said before, we cannot create without the author’s permission . And, to be honest, I can’t create a masterpiece like The Silmarillion even if the author gives permission . I simply lack the ability to . I needed a novel that was poorly written but had enough structure and elements that I wouldn’t be embarrassed by it… . Ah, ignore that, kuhum . ”

The man spoke at length again .

But there was one word that bothered me during this drawn-out speech . And that was ‘permission’ .

“Wait, permission?”

“Yes . There are many Dimensional Authors even in the world I’m from, but there aren’t many like me, who only aim for the ‘pinnacle-ranked dimension’ . For the record, one day for the ‘pinnacle-ranked dimension’ is equivalent to one year for us . In other words, the six months you ignored my email was 180 years for me . Ah, it’s not like I resent you for it . I can only send an email once every 90 years anyways . That would be about 3 months in the ‘pinnacle-ranked dimension . ’”

“N-No, that’s not what I’m talking about . ”

I was dumbfounded . Truly dumbfounded .

He couldn’t do anything without my ‘permission’?

“Permission? What permission? What about all the changes you made? You changed them however you liked!”

“Eh~? What do you mean? You gave me permission, remember?”

“…What? Permission?”

“Yes! It was clearly written in the email! You don’t know how happy I was when you approved of those three sentences!”

In an instant, my head turned blank .

Deng- A bell seemed to ring inside my head .

All of this really happened because of that email?

My life changed so much because of those three sentences?

“To be honest, I thought it unfair . Because what were three, insignificant sentences to you made me feel like I obtained the whole world . ”

Tak! The man snapped his fingers . Then, a string of messages popped up in the air .

[Pinnacle-ranked Dimension – The ultimate stable world where Kim Hajin and other authors live . ]

[High-ranked Dimension – Omitted]

[High-intermediate-ranked Dimension – My world]

[Intermediate-ranked Dimension – The world of your novel, ‘Returner Hero’ . ]

[Low-intermediate-ranked Dimension – Omitted]

[Low-ranked Dimension – Your minigame character, Litrain, lives here . ]

[Lowest-ranked Dimension – Omitted]

“This makes sense, right? This is how dimensions are ranked . I observed the ‘pinnacle-ranked dimension’ for close to ten-thousand years . Though, that would only be 20~30 years in the ‘pinnacle-ranked dimension . ’”

The man snapped his fingers again . The messages in the air vanished .

“Anyways, your ‘pinnacle-ranked dimension’ truly has all kinds of people . Lazy people, grieving people, loving people, murderous people, excited people, content-creating people… . I was envious of all of them . You once thought you were an extra who was no different than a speck of dust in the overall picture of the world, right? But in the eyes of real extras like me, you look like a main character who shines brighter than anyone else in the world . ”

“…No, that’s not the problem . Right… so… you’re saying those three sentences you sent changed my life like this?”

An empty chuckle escaped my lips .

The co-author smiled and looked up at the sky .

“Yes, and this is also unfair . That an email someone thoughtlessly replied to was significant enough to create a world . ”

“… . ”

I shut my mouth .

I didn’t care to hear any more of his explanations . Even if I did, I would only sigh at my fate .

Now was the time to bring up a more important matter .

“Whatever . So, what’s going to happen to me now?”

“It’s simple . You have to make a decision . You can leave the world of your novel or stay in it . ”

“…I see . ”

I noticed that my voice was shaking . I expected something like this, so it was clear what questions to ask .

“What happens if I leave this world?”

“Since the author is no longer in the novel, the novel will stop . As a result, the world will crumble . ”

“…What? All of it?”

I was dumbstruck to the point my hair stood on their ends, but the man nodded his head as if it wasn’t a big deal .

“Of course . Isn’t that obvious? I am not the one maintaining this world . It is you, from the ‘pinnacle-ranked dimension’, the one with a noble soul . Without you, a mere intermediate-ranked dimension will stop instantly and slowly rot until it disappears . ”

The man heaved out a light sigh and continued .

“But you can safely return to Earth . You don’t have to worry about the passage of time . Less than ten days would have passed in the ‘pinnacle-ranked dimension’ . There’s a chance that not even a day went by . I’m not sure about the exact metrics of time… . Oh right, if you’d like, I can erase all the memories you have of this world!”

An empty laugh escaped my lips .

I laughed audibly and clutched my head .

Meanwhile, the man continued talking .

“If you go back to your world, please remake this world in prose . I’d like to see it too . That single novel will be far greater than all of the worlds I’ve created combined-”

“…Great, my ass . ”

I grit my teeth and cut him off .

“Pardon? Ah, you must not have understood me correctly-”

“I did, you piece of shit . That’s why I’m angry . This world… the world you ‘created’… is far greater than mine . ”

A third-rate author who couldn’t even meet his daily release times and eventually went on hiatus .

There was no way the novel I write would be greater than this world .

Plus, I didn’t think I created this world . I only lived in it .

“Hmm… I see . ”

A small smile spread across his face .

He turned slightly more serious and asked .

“Then what is your decision?”

“There’s something else I want to ask . ”

I was curious about one more thing . Perhaps it was more important than anything else .

“…Can I die in this world? Am I immortal, like Baal?”

“No, you can die . And even if you do, this world will not stop . Because your soul will stay and maintain this world . That was why Baal wanted to kill you . ”

“Haa… . ”

A sigh escaped my mouth .

From the sound of it, I didn’t have a choice from the beginning . From the moment I was synchronized to this world, from the moment I came to love its people, my decision was set .

I actually felt a bit relieved .

So, I made a bittersweet smile…

“Of course, you can choose to remain here . But I would not recommend it, because you will become a dimensional existence of a much lesser rank than the ‘pinnacle-ranked dimension’! Plus-!”

The man stiffened his face frighteningly and raised his finger .

“As you will no longer be an author, you will lose ‘everything’ you obtained from the power of the author . You should know what this means, right? This includes personal relationships, and not just abilities . ”

“… . ”

I became speechless .

What he was saying was truly frightening .

I couldn’t think . The inside of my head turned blank like a sheet of paper .

The emptiness inside my head then began to fill up with everything I built up . The faces of countless people flashed by .

“Now, choose . You don’t have much time left . Ten minutes in this world is equivalent to a day outside . ”

The man urged me .

However, I didn’t answer .

If he came to see me on the ‘first day’, when I wasn’t even ‘Kim Hajin’, my decision would have been simple . I would have returned home, to the world I came from .

“Ah… . ”

But now… how could he ask this now? After so goddamn long?

I spent too much time in this world . To forget everything and let it crumble… I… I’ve come to care about this world too much .

“… . ”

In the end, I began to walk, delaying the decision .

My footsteps became engraved in the snowy field .

“Where are you going?”

The co-author asked .

I replied briefly .

“…I’m going back . ”

The co-author asked back .

“To where?”

I vision blurred . Small droplets of water fell onto the field .

I was crying .

“…To home . ”

“And where is your home?”

“… . ”

I couldn’t answer . It was hard enough to still be standing .

I simply walked on the white path . I walked and walked . Traces of tears and footsteps appeared on the snowy field .

Behind him, the co-author’s chilling voice rang out . It shook my ears like an empty echo .

“The evanescence should progress slowly . ”

I continued to walk .

If I continued on this path, I should eventually find myself home .

I didn’t know where that home would be, but I was certain I would be there .

So I told myself to walk .

A little more, a little more .

So that I wouldn’t be miserable . So that I wouldn’t regret… .

Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters .