A thunderous blast split the air, and dust billowed thick across the ground.“Han Sooyoung!”I ran toward the center of Gwanghwamun where she had fallen. No matter how many times I shouted, there was no reply.Kuuuuuung—The Absolute Throne that had stood in the heart of Gwanghwamun was now rising into the air.【Ooooooooooooooo】A faint cry echoed from some unreachable height.There was no mistaking it—the voice of an otherworldly divinity.Thankfully it was still distant enough that I wasn’t vomiting blood or passing out, but the gravity of the situation was obvious.This didn’t happen in the previous Absolute Throne scenario.The otherworldly god has intervened.Was that what Han Sooyoung had been fighting against?But why?Hadn’t she been trying to destroy this world until now?“Han Sooyoung!”I called again, but still saw no sign of her.As the dust cleared, I saw him—Yu Joonghyuk, suspended high in the air, limp and motionless.“Yu Joonghyuk!”His entire body was bound by crimson threads stretching upward from the Absolute Throne.The throne rose as he fell. Slowly, steadily, the distance between them closed.[‘Throne Succession Ceremony’ has begun.]The connection of constellations was forming—the will of the Absolute Throne’s creator, the otherworldly god.“Look! Look at that!”“It’s Yu Joonghyuk!”The incarnations nearby, coughing through the dust, cried out as they spotted him.[Hoho, how entertaining. Then allow me to conclude this scenario in style.]As if things couldn’t get worse, the dokkaebi Baul appeared, triggering a new sub-scenario.[New ‘Sub Scenario’ has arrived.]+Classification: SubDifficulty: AClear Condition:Soon, a new king will be born upon the Korean Peninsula.Defeat the incarnation Yu Joonghyuk, who seeks to sit upon the throne, and seize the Absolute Throne.Time Limit: 30 minutesReward: 7,000 coinsFailure: —+[Well then, everyone—your final chance! Will you watch a king’s coronation, or become the one who usurps him?]The mid-rank dokkaebi laughed, delighted by the chaos.[Constellation ‘Bald Militia Captain’ frantically polishes his head.][Constellation ‘Telegraph of the Sea’ sighs, gazing at the throne.][Constellation ‘Creator of Hangul’ watches in sorrowful silence.][Constellation ‘Demonlike Judge of Fire’ glares at the otherworldly god.][Constellation ‘Black Flame Dragon of the Abyss’ scoffs—“No one brave enough?”]Even the stars, terrified as they were, couldn’t look away.Despite the new scenario, no incarnation dared to move. Of course they didn’t.The one ascending the throne was Conqueror Yu Joonghyuk, the strongest incarnation of all—the man who had toppled every other king single-handedly.There was only one person who could challenge him.“Yu Joonghyuk!”And that was me.“Yu Joonghyuk! Wake up! Sit on that throne and it’s all over!”I shouted, pushing through the crowd toward the throne.I had to stop him.I could still stop him.It wasn’t too late.“Mister.”A slender girl with a sword blocked my way.“That’s far enough.”“Lee Jihye.”The commander of Yu Joonghyuk’s guard stood barring the path.“Cross this line and you’re dead. Got it?”Beside her loomed Delusion Fiend Kim Namwoon,and behind them, a throng of loyalists.“Conqueror! Conqueror! Conqueror!”“The new King of Korea!”At their center stood a woman with disheveled white hair—Saint Lee Seolhwa.And in that moment, I understood.The Yu Joonghyuk of the 41st regression had already gathered comrades like these.He had never stopped for even a moment,steadily building his path toward the end of this world.“I said you can’t pass.”As I took a step forward, Lee Jihye drew her sword halfway. It wasn’t an empty threat. One more step and she would really strike.Lightning flashed above, illuminating Yu Joonghyuk drawing ever closer to the throne.Han Sooyoung must have fought to stop that.The last time I saw her, I’d spoken to her like a fool.That I was a writer too.That I would convince her.That I would finish her story.So what kind of story had I written?I looked around Gwanghwamun.Everything was ruins.Dying incarnations writhed on the ground.The stars above glittered like mockery.I’d thought I could do better.I’d believed I understood all their stories.[Exclusive skill ‘Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World’ activates intermittently.]Fragments of the Annihilation Method echoed in my head.That skill—probably a memory Han Sooyoung had given me.I laughed bitterly. Without it, I’d already be dead.I took another step. Lee Jihye’s blade brushed my cheek.“Any closer and I’ll have to cut you down, even if you’re you.”While Yu Joonghyuk was building his legend—what had I been doing?There were stories I’d wanted to tell.Stories of those who never stood in the spotlight.Of extras forgotten by the script, who never even earned a single line.I’d wanted to write for them.And I’d wanted to save the Yu Joonghyuk of the 41st regression.But did any of it work?For the first time, I faced the limits of my talent as a writer.“I…”I couldn’t change this story.I met Lee Jihye’s eyes and stepped forward again.If this is the price for the story I ruined—Her eyes hardened; the blade swung.But before it could reach me—“Jihye-ssi.”Someone caught the edge of her sword.“Please let Inho go.”A small woman, standing between us.“Inho still has something he needs to do.”Her voice warmed something deep inside my chest.[Legend ‘Chronicler of Vanishing Things’ begins to tell a story.]That warmth turned into words.A reader who was more frightened than anyone stood there.Gyeong Se-in—the second reader I’d ever met.The one who loved Jeong Heewon most, who had built her body trying to become strong like Lee Hyunsung.Her whole body was covered in scars—proof of everything she’d endured.“Se-in.”She turned to me, trembling.“Inho-ssi.”Even if she’d grown stronger, her opponent was a main character of the story itself. Physically, she couldn’t compare.Still, she didn’t step back.“I don’t want to watch this world end.”I stared at her blankly. Lee Jihye’s expression hardened.“So you’re going to fight us?”Cold power gathered along her blade, shimmering blue.“You know how strong I am.”A hit from that would kill Se-in for sure.She grabbed me, ducking down—and at that instant, someone kicked Lee Jihye’s sword away.“What the—”Lee Jihye staggered back, clutching her wrist. Kim Namwoon’s eyes gleamed with feral amusement.“Oh? This is getting fun.”A reader who had read more novels than anyone stood there.LiteratureGirl64—Cha Yerin had activated [Versus Action Mode] to deflect the blow.“Yerin, the time limit?”“Three minutes. We have to finish by then.”“Plenty.”A reader who had most wanted to become Yu Joonghyuk stood there.Cha Sung-woo—KillerKing—offered me his hand.“Get up, Kim Dokja.”Even now, he wouldn’t break character. I grabbed his hand and stood.Lee Jihye growled.“Are you serious? You all want to die?”“No one here wants to die.”A reader who wanted to see an ending where no one dies stood there.Carrying Shin Yooseung, Uncle Dan-soo supported my arm.“We’re all here because we don’t want anyone else to die.”Something in that must have amused Kim Namwoon; he burst out laughing.“Ha ha ha! Classic! Straight out of a novel!”Then the laughter stopped. His expression sharpened.Black flames surged around him.“Then teach me one of those cool lines, huh?”In a flash, he was in front of us. His punch sent Cha Yerin flying.KillerKing’s arrow hit his forearm, and Kim Namwoon only grinned.“Nice toy.”Black flame erupted from his hand, burning the crossbow to ash.Just as the siblings were cornered—gunfire.“Second Apostle! Get down!”A reader more rational than anyone—but with more passion than anyone—stood there.Bullets tore the air, smoke flooding the street.Through the haze, Ye Hyun-woo charged in, pulling the others to their feet.Gong Pil-doo covered their retreat, the mutt Max barking beside him.“Advance! Don’t let them take the Absolute Throne!”At his shout, the troops of Chungmuro roared forward.But their opponents were Lee Jihye and Kim Namwoon.Ska-ka-kak!“Gaaahhh!”Limbs were severed in an instant. Yerin, KillerKing, Dan-soo, and Se-in joined the fight, but all of them were exhausted from previous scenarios. They couldn’t keep up.“Inho-ssi, go!”I took the opening they carved out and ran.Lee Jihye shouted.I ignored the killing intent and pushed forward.Even after breaking through, countless followers still blocked my path—the history Yu Joonghyuk had built through the 41st regression.“Stop him.”At Lee Seolhwa’s calm command, the zealots swung their weapons.“Kill him! He’s trying to assassinate the king!”Even [Incite] wouldn’t scatter numbers like this. If I used it, I might not have the power left to destroy the throne.Then, from the left flank—chaos.“Gahhh! What the hell—!”A mass of people plowed through the formation like a tank.“Hyungnim!”The man crashing forward headfirst was unmistakable.“Bang Chul-soo!”“Go, sirrrr!”Clearing the path with him were the mother and daughter who fought like twin blades.The people Lee Hak-hyun had saved were there.I ran down the road they’d opened for me.As if to say his story hadn’t been wrong after all.People who had lived through my clumsy words,who had chosen to exist inside the crude sentences I’d written—they were the ones opening my path.And then, something crashed down in front of me.A presence so heavy I could hardly breathe. A shadow like a mountain.“Inho-ssi. I can’t allow you to go any further.”The strongest shield—Steel Swordmaster Lee Hyunsung.His massive hand moved for my head. [Mountain Breaker].Instinctively, I drew up my magic. That blow would cripple me if it hit.I ducked under his right hand—but his left was already waiting.The shield’s [Mountain Push] slammed toward me exactly where I’d dodged.No way to avoid it.I opened my mouth to trigger [Incite]—And an explosion split the air.Rolling across the ground, I saw Lee Hyunsung’s stunned face.“H-how—”His iron shield lay split clean in two.Something had pushed back his [Mountain Push] and shattered his defense.I understood his shock.At this point, only Yu Joonghyuk should have such strength.And yet there was another blade that protected him.Because in this 41st regression, one more incarnation possessed that power.“See? This is what happens when you leave me behind.”The one incarnation in this world unafraid of Yu Joonghyuk’s sword.The only blade that protected Kim Dokja across all worldlines.I said her name.“Heewon.”“Whatever’s going on, you can explain later. For now—get up. You’ve got work to do.”The Judge of Extinction, Jeong Heewon, lifted me to my feet.“Go do it. I’ll handle the big guy.”“Stop!”Lee Hyunsung reached out, startled—and Heewon swung her sword.Sword and shield collided, and the ground shook with the impact.Leaving the clash of the strongest sword and shield behind, I looked up.The Absolute Throne had ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) already ascended to the heavens.Yu Joonghyuk was only an arm’s length away from it now.There was no time to hesitate.“I’ll claim my hidden scenario reward.”[Pending ‘Hidden Scenario’ reward will now be distributed.][You have slain a ‘Calamity’ for the first time!][An unbelievable achievement has been recorded!][You have earned 90,000 coins!][…][The Administration Bureau grants you a special scenario privilege.][Choose one of the following reward items.]+[Egg of the Fire Dragonkin]: SS-grade …+A list of high-tier items scrolled through my mind.I didn’t even read them all before answering.“Boots of Sylphid’s Leap.”An item Kim Dokja had never chosen—but one I needed most right now.[You have acquired ‘Boots of Sylphid’s Leap.’]Cool air swirled around my feet as a soft wind wrapped my ankles.[Special Option ‘Leap’ activated.]I kicked off the ground with all my strength, soaring into the sky.In an instant, Yu Joonghyuk was within reach.“Yu Joonghyuk!”I still had the Execution Sword.But I wasn’t ready to destroy the throne yet; I lacked the medium of faith to draw on the constellations’ power.So first—I grabbed Yu Joonghyuk.If I could separate him from the throne, that came first.But the moment my hand gripped his arm, the space before my eyes wavered.[‘Primordial Theater’ activates.]The world twisted, as if I were being sucked through a wall.When my vision cleared, I was somewhere else entirely—Yu Joonghyuk beside me.—Yu Joonghyuk! Yu Joonghyuk!—The age of the Conqueror begins!Voices thundered through tinny speakers.I blinked—and saw a massive screen ahead.On it, the scene of Gwanghwamun unfolded.I stared blankly for a moment, then turned slowly.Darkness surrounded me. Rows of glowing seats.And on each one—hundreds of readers.[At last, you’ve arrived.]The child Kim Dokjas were watching me.Some smiling, some sorrowful.At their center, a man stood, clapping his hands.[Our abandoned protagonist.]I knew that face well.Beaming with ecstasy, Representative Kim Dokja spread his arms.[Let us welcome with joy—‘the 49% Kim Dokja.’]

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.