At this moment, Bihyung was watching the screen of Duet Between Good and Evil at the bureau.
[The stage of the 2nd Constellation and Demon War will be the âReincarnation Islandâ located in the Dark Fault.]
The moment the great dokkaebiâs declaration was heard, all the dokkaebis of the bureau were in an uproar.
âNo, why the island all of a sudden?â
âWhy are the great dokkaebis thinking?â
Even the great dokkaebis couldnât set the stage for the 80th main scenario. If the will of the Star Stream didnât move...
[The Star Stream is willing to open the 80th main scenario.]
[A new main scenario has been created.]
Bihyung was surprised by the system message. âDid the Star Stream really move?â
The series of shocking scenario changes made Bihyung stunned.
âBihyung! A revelation was just received!â
â...A revelation?â
After a while, a new panel was prepared. The screen hadnât surfaced yet but Bihyung knew what it was.
â...The plate of revelation.â
An unknown slab that only the constellations and demon kings who had acquired the power of ârevelationâ could see. The material was unknown and even the space and coordinates werenât clearly known. The bureau could only observe the strange object.
Each nebula had a different name for this âplate.â Divine revelation, a single word, the old devilâs whisper...
It was an unidentified object that spoiled the information of the future, forcing the bureau to pay attention to it. n/Ă´/
The method that the constellations of the Star Stream used to read the future was simple. Sometimes there was a hole in the plate of revelation and a series of story fragments would be released from the hole. The fragments that spilled out had information about the future. The constellation and demon kings recognized it, combined words and used this to predict the future or read their fortunes.
The stigma called âRevelationâ was made. It was actually just reconstructing these words.
Bihyung asked, âIs there another turn in the plate of revelation?â
âYes, it has been a problem since it started shaking a few years ago.â
The original version of the revelation released future information but it didnât have a significant impact on the bureauâs scenario probability. The future reconstructed through the revelations were uncertain and unclear.
However, there had been a âcrackâ in this plate since a few years ago. Through that crack, whole information of the future came through.
âA strange hole occurred a few days ago...â
The hole that occurred a few days ago caused a problem in the probability that couldnât be overlooked even by the Star Stream. Information that shouldnât have been passed on crossed through that broken hole without damage.
Bihyung still had a headache when he thought about the work at that time. Strange strings had emerged through the hole for a while.
ă Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World. ă
The name seemed like the title of a book and the constellations of the Star Stream fell into chaos.
-What is Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World.txt
-Does âruinâ mean the â â of every scenario?
The constellations who neglected the scenarios and remained relaxed started to act like their feet were on fire after this revelation was released. The rumours about the apocalypse spread and there were rumours about the end of the Star Stream.
âThe screen is ready!â
Bihyung watched the black-white screen nervously. A few words that emerged through the hole caused the entire Star Stream to shake. What type of revelation would occur this time?
After a while, the screen of the revelation appeared. Then there was a very small hole in the centre of the plate.
âThere is no change... eh?â
The next moment, the dokkaebis were astonished by the whitish object that appeared inside the hole. It was someoneâs mouth.
-Ah, ah... so, um... microphone test?
The dokkaebi cried out, âWhat is this...?â
The bureau was in chaos as the mouth kept on talking.
-Can you hear me? Iâm going to give you a revelation now. Iâll only show you for a second so look and remember!
Along with the clear and cheerful voice, there was the sound of pages turning. After a while, fragments of a story passed through the hole.
ă How to survive in a ruined world, the third way. ă
The revelation appeared clearly. It was truly like a divine revelation.
ă That method is on Reincarnation Island. ă
The story fragments scattered in the air and the voice said.
-Have you seen it? Then goodbye!
The hole closed and the voice disappeared.
Bihyung muttered, âOh my god.â
None of the shocked dokkaebis of the bureau could open their mouths. Bells were ringing from all over. The unstoppable inquiries of the constellations were pouring in.
The Duet Between Good and Evil was still playing on the panel on the other side.
[I will say it once again.]
The voice of Great Dokkaebi Baram rang out.
[The stage of the 2nd Constellation and Demon War will be the âReincarnation Islandâ located in the Dark Fault.]
***
After the Duet Between Good and Evil, our group immediately returned to Earth. All the way back to the industrial complex, the party members were excited. In particular, Jung Heewon and Lee Jihye were checking the performance of the plaques we received.
[Grand Prize of Duet Between Good and Evil].
In the Star Stream, the âstatusâ generally rose only through the accumulation of stories. However, there were extremely rare star relics that raised the status without needing the accumulation of stories. This was the case with the plaques awarded at the Duet Between Good and Evil.
âMy sword seems lighter... is this enough to be able to swing Hyunsung ahjussi lightly?â Lee Jihyeâs
murmur caused Lee Hyunsung to tremble.
Certainly, the plaque was more effective than getting two quasi-myth grade stories. Given that all the quasi-myth grade stories I acquired were those I gained after suffering and dying, it was a tremendous boost.
[5,000,000 coins Exchange Ticket]
In addition, they received five million coins as prize money.
âHa, Dokja-ssi... weâre rich now...â
âI wonât have to worry about coins for a while.â
âKids, how much did you get?â
Jung Heewon was busy asking questions to the children who received the Best Chemistry Award.
âShin Yoosung, honestly, I was a bit more active. Give me another 100,000 coins.â
âWhat nonsense is this? It will naturally be split in half. It is the same with the story shares.â
Lee Hyunsung stopped the children. The party members seemed to be in good spirits for their own reasons, but on the other hand, they were also glancing at me.
ă In fact, there is a question that everyone hasnât asked. ă
Why did Yoo Jonghyuk and I fight? The party members had seen the scene with their own eyes but no one asked me about it. Maybe they were instinctively avoiding the topic. Perhaps it was their own consideration as they waited for me to speak first.
I was still listening to Yoo Sangah in my head while I carried the unconscious Yoo Jonghyuk on my back.
â...You mean, you leaked the contents of Ways of Survival through the hole in the Fourth Wall?â
ă (Yes.) ă
âThe constellations accepted it as a revelation?â
ă (Thatâs right.) ă
I didnât understand at first. The information sent out of the Fourth Wall became a ârevelationâ to the constellations? In the first place, the role of the ârevelationâ in the original novel... no, wait.
âDonât tell me?â
There were many things in my head.
Yoo Sangah asked, ă (Dokja-ssi, have you noticed the Fourth Wall might be the original words?) ă
âYes. I donât know the exact sense but...â
ă (Originally, the Fourth Wall is a stage term. A wall separating the play from the wall. The characters in the play would never be able to recognize the Fourth Wall. It is because they donât exist outside the stage.) ă
Outside the stage. It was the ârealityâ I lived in.
Goosebumps formed on my arms. Indeed, if the name âFourth Wallâ had its origins in the same meaning as Yoo Sangahâs description, it was natural there would be a Ways of Survival inside this wall. It was because the contents of Ways of Survival were created in reality.
In other words, the revelation was a âspoilerâ that flowed from the novel to reality. One couldnât find the source so it became a divine revelation in the eyes of the characters.
Yoo Sangah continued speaking,
ă (I always thought it was strange. The filtered information about Ways of Survival was suddenly released... however, that time coincided with when I entered the Fourth Wall.) ă
âCoincides?â
ă (Yes, the book blocking the hole I entered through was Ways of Survival. The title could be seen very well...) ă
Now I understood everything. The reason why the constellations and demon kings suddenly knew about Ways of Survival. It was why the development that wasnât in the original novel suddenly unfolded. The information they knew had all leaked through the hole in the Fourth Wall.
âIt is a bit complicated but this is a good thing.â
ă (Right?) ă
Yoo Sangah replied with a laugh. She was probably thinking the same thing as me.
ă (By the way, I canât use it very often. I noticed a lot of looks... oh, Iâm sorry. I have to go for a minute because the seniors are calling.) ă
Then Yoo Sangahâs voice disappeared from my head. She was the youngest member of the library but she had a lot of sense.
In any case, thanks to Yoo Sangahâs performance, we got a new card to use. The Fourth Wall allowed me to manipulate the revelations that the constellations received. Until it was revealed to be a false revelation, I could use the information to incite the constellations.
Han Sooyoung walked beside me and opened her mouth. âYou havenât spoken in a while?â
âI was just thinking to myself for a while.â
âYou must have a lot of thoughts.â
Han Sooyoung bit her lips and used Midday Tryst while talking.
-What are you going to do now?
-What else? I have to prepare for the next scenario. The Constellation and Demon War is the 80th scenario and it will start in a month.
-Apart from that.
Han Sooyoung had a complicated look in her eyes. She was watching Yoo Jonghyuk being carried on my back.
-Do you know what happens when Yoo Jonghyuk will wake up?
Yoo Jonghyuk was aware of the identity of Ways of Survival. I didnât know what he knew but I couldnât keep hiding information from him. He might be shocked and receive a terrible wound but... nevertheless...
Han Sooyoung told me.
-For reference. I am against it.
-What?
-The thing youâre about to say.
Han Sooyoung acted like she knew my thoughts. She sighed lightly and looked at the ground.
-With your personality, it is strange that you have been hiding it so far.
Han Sooyoung seemed to misunderstand me. If I couldâve hidden it better, I wouldâve hidden as much as I could. If possible, until the end of the story.
Han Sooyoung shook her head.
-You can hide it as much as possible. Just pretend you donât know. Pretend to be a prophet, as you have done so far.
-Do you think they will believe it? I have to talk now. It isnât just Yoo Jonghyuk but the other party members as well.
Han Sooyoungâs eyes grew bigger at my words.
-What nonsense is this? Why are you going to tell them?
-They deserve to know.
-I tried it before. However, the characters canât know anything about Ways of Survival. They think it is just a joke.
-It might be different now. The filtering is released.
Han Sooyoung opened her mouth before closing it again. Instead of pressing me, she searched the faces of the people who didnât know anything. A faint contempt towards me could be seen in Han Sooyoungâs eyes.
-Is it for you or is it for them?
-...
-You have already deceived these people. Now you are going to ask for forgiveness?
-I donât mean to be forgiven.
Like Han Sooyoung, I also studied their faces.
The strong but delicate Jung Heewon. The sincere and unsophisticated Lee Hyunsung. The tough but sweet Lee Jihye. The adult but pure Shin Yoosung.
I looked at their faces and recalled the âdescriptionsâ I knew. Some of them werenât âdescribedâ and others had different faces from the âdescriptions.â They were faces I knew but didnât know.
Shin Yoosung suddenly looked back and waved towards me. I spoke while waving back at the child.
-...I want to be real companions.
Han Sooyoung was silent for a long time before quietly turning around and disappearing into the Factory. In the distance, a message from her came back like an echo.
-Didnât I say it clearly? I oppose it.
Not long after, we arrived at the Factory and each of us took a rest to recover. That evenng, I summoned all the members of Kim Dokjaâs Company apart from the unconscious Yoo Jonghyuk.
I had Biyoo block the channel and placed a thick barrier to prevent other constellations from listening.
After some preparations, I looked back at the party members. âI have something to say to you.â
I opened my mouth but couldnât speak easily. Perhaps she thought I was playing a joke but Lee Jihye trembled. âAhjussi, what is wrong with you all of a sudden? You are scary.â
I tried to smile at Lee Jihye.
I had been troubled for a long time. I had been certain that this moment would come.
Lee Hyunsung and Shin Yoosung were looking at me with worry. I saw the people who were worried about my first, even in this situation, and bit my lips. âSome of you.â
The eyes of the group shook. I saw Han Sooyoung turn away. Then I spoke like I was pulling the trigger. âYou are characters of a story.â
End Of Chapter