Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Chapter 550 - Epilogue 5 – The Eternity and Epilogue (5)

One year and two months had passed since Yu Jung-Hyeok embarked on his journey.

Updating the manuscript had begun to drag as the third segment neared completion. Although the compilation process continued with great effort, there remained a vast amount of material yet to be woven together.

As the chapter count steadily climbed, the number of tales unknown to Han Su-Yeong seemed to multiply alongside it.

“This might prove useful, even if only slightly,” Aileen remarked.

Had she not successfully pulled Fable fragments from the slumbering Kim Dok-Ja, the progression of the manuscript would have stalled significantly.

[Fable fragment, ‘Great adventure in the Dark Castle’, has been successfully extracted.]

[Fable fragment, ‘Memories of 1863rd regression turn’, has been successfully extracted.]

[Fable fragment, ‘Gourmet Association Story’, has been successfully extracted.]

These were mere slivers, too insubstantial to qualify as full Fables. Han Su-Yeong pored over these fragments to patch the gaps within the history of Kim Dok-Ja. Even then, an abundance of emptiness persisted, though she chose not to force anything into those hollow spaces.

[Your Incarnation has logged into the ‘Cloud System’.]

Yu Sang-Ah inquired, “It appears Jung-Hyeok-ssi is faring well.”

“Well, he is likely busy terrorizing the wits out of those poor authors,” returned Han Su-Yeong.

“I wonder what the other writers are like. Surely, not all of them mirror you, Su-Yeong-ssi?”

“Hardly. Wait, did you walk over here just to badger me?”

“One has to wonder if the author in question is even human. It could be an advanced AI, or perhaps something else entirely.”

Han Su-Yeong gave a reluctant nod. The cosmos was indeed vast, and no shortage of writers populated its expanse. There were likely plenty of authors currently suffering under the iron grip of Yu Jung-Hyeok.

Regardless, the prompt nature of the revised manuscript uploads suggested that the man was doing his part quite efficiently.

But then...

[Your Incarnation is revising the manuscript you have written.]

“....What??”

*

[....Captain, what are you doing??]

“I am correcting errors.”

Yu Jung-Hyeok was editing the live file while connected to the [Cloud System]. Under normal circumstances, an Incarnation of his standing would lack the authority to alter files within the [Cloud System], but...

[Your attribute’s effects are activating.]

[You can now revise the ‘Cloud System’s’ manuscript.]

[Revision of the already recorded contents requires a great amount of Probability!]

That capability had become accessible to him a while ago. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment of its awakening, though it might have coincided with the manifestation of the writing-related attribute buried within him. Perhaps it blossomed after he absorbed the Fables of the ‘Outer Gods’.

[....Won’t Han Su-Yeong get really angry?]

“Even she cannot know every single story. Certain sections were in total disarray.”

As he spoke, Yu Jung-Hyeok rhythmically tapped the holographic keyboard. Biyu looked on with visible awe.

[Oh... Captain, your command of grammar exceeds my expectations! Given your penchant for brandishing swords at every turn, I assumed you couldn’t tell a knight from a night, but this....]

At that exact moment, Yu Jung-Hyeok’s cursor began dancing erratically of its own accord.

[Constellation, ‘Architect of the False Last Act’, has revised the latest file.]

Bizarre lines suddenly materialized where his own input had been.

⸢Hey, you just messed with my manuscript, didn’t you?! Do you really want to die that badly??⸥

....So, that was how one communicated with her.

Yu Jung-Hyeok calmly keyed in his reply.

⸢This is because you failed to store the manuscript properly.⸥

⸢What rubbish are you spouting?⸥

⸢There were fallacies in the manuscript. I have left my notes in the file; verify them yourself.⸥

After entering the text, Yu Jung-Hyeok re-examined his edits.

⸢Yi Gil-Yeong in the black coat looked down at the world with star-sparkling eyes and declared, “Hey, you sooty bastard. You’re pathetic.” – Do you truly believe this logic holds up?⸥

⸢Yi Ji-Hye, radiating noble ripples of energy as fierce as a rushing river, began swinging her sword. “Water the Sky Sword Door, True Body Deep Righteousness Slash Technique, Water the Sky Destroy the Emperor Slash!!” – No such move exists within the Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship. Furthermore, the Hanja characters are all wrong.⸥

Han Su-Yeong remained silent for a heartbeat.

⸢....What is this? I don’t recall typing these lines. Wait, surely these haven’t gone live yet?⸥

⸢There is still time before the update, so correct them immediately.⸥

Yu Jung-Hyeok could easily deduce what had transpired.

⸢Seriously, those two... tampering with my laptop....⸥

Without a doubt, Yi Gil-Yeong and Yi Ji-Hye had modified the scheduled update without Han Su-Yeong’s awareness.

Biyu watched the sentences being frantically edited before their eyes and observed, [It seems you two have grown rather close.]

“We are merely communicating for the sake of the mission.”

Based on the steady frequency of updates, Han Su-Yeong was clearly working tirelessly to reconstruct Kim Dok-Ja’s tale in its most authentic form.

As the novel grew, it risked drifting away from the reality they had endured through excessive dramatization or imagination. Since their goal was the restoration of Kim Dok-Ja, this story had to mirror the reality they had actually lived.

[As long as this remains a story, a perfect recreation is impossible. Every narrative is naturally distorted by its narrator.]

“I am aware. Even if Kim Dok-Ja wrote it himself, the result would be identical.”

Yu Jung-Hyeok pondered this briefly. If a complete restoration of ‘Kim Dok-Ja’ was impossible regardless of the writing, what then was the essence of ‘Kim Dok-Ja’ to begin with?

Yu Jung-Hyeok shook his head.

Whether in the past or the present, that answer remained elusive. Truly, nobody in this world knew who they were in totality.

He gazed at Han Su-Yeong's manuscript. Those who had forgotten themselves were likely reading her work at this very moment. They would read one sentence, then move to the next.

All Yu Jung-Hyeok and Han Su-Yeong desired was a single outcome: for the ‘happy ending’ that remained unknown to them to manifest within someone’s imagination.

They wished for a world they had never seen to safely exist somewhere within the universe.

[Constellation, ‘Architect of the False Last Act’, has revised the latest file.]

⸢By the way, Yu Jung-Hyeok? Just how many years have you been wandering....⸥

[Error has occurred in the ‘Cloud System’ due to incorrect usage!]

[Due to the storm of Probability’s aftermath, the Stigma will temporarily shut down.]

It appeared that pushing the manuscript to its limits carried risks.

Yu Jung-Hyeok raised his head to study his reflection in the ark’s window. He noted faint traces of premature grey in his hair.

[Captain, we have not hit the 100-year mark yet.]

“I am aware.”

[Time moves quite slowly, doesn't it?]

Her voice, drifting past with indifference, caused Yu Jung-Hyeok to waver. Biyu, still in the form of a small furball, stared at the passing landscapes of the Dark Stratum with a vague expression. He was suddenly struck by the realization that she was once Shin Yu-Seung in a former cycle.

⸢”Did you know, Captain? Did you know of the grueling years I had to endure to fulfill your request?”⸥

She was a being who had traversed world-lines as a lost shadow for thousands of years just to pass information to a past regression.

Yu Jung-Hyeok’s lips parted, then pressed shut. Finally, he forced out, “....It must have been difficult.”

[Right. It was truly brutal. I harbored a lot of resentment toward you, Captain.]

The Disaster of Floods, Shin Yu-Seung. The Dokkaebi King Biyu had once held that name.

[And yet, these days I feel a sense of relief being reincarnated. I managed to uphold the vow I made to you back then.]

“The promise?”

[Back when I was simply Shin Yu-Seung, you made me a promise, Captain. You said that after the scenario concluded, we would go on a journey together.]

As he listened to Biyu, he scavenged through the memories of the 41st turn. Perhaps thanks to the memories transmitted by the Secretive Plotter, he could dimly recall that day. Shin Yu-Seung, speaking to him of her wishes for the aftermath of the scenario.

The Yu Jung-Hyeok of the 41st turn failed to keep that word.

⸢”Shin Yu-Seung, you are the final one.”⸥

As his companions perished, he had dispatched Shin Yu-Seung to the space outside the world-line.

The memories from that day—where had the substance of those moments fled?

He did not know. Perhaps they had become part of the ‘Nameless Ones’.

“I....”

[Do not offer an apology now. The one who should apologize, and the one due that apology, no longer inhabit this world.]

She was correct. In a sense, the version of him that spoke and the version listening were not the original people from that history. Yu Jung-Hyeok had lost the 41st turn, and he had forgotten most of those details since Biyu’s reincarnation. It was now merely an old fable, binding them together. They sat in silence, pondering that history for a while.

[Shall we proceed, then?]

“Very well.”

For now, they must complete this endless trek and locate a suitable intermediary to deliver their story.

“This time, those writer couples over there look like promising candidates.”

The journey would likely stretch on indefinitely.

But to Yu Jung-Hyeok, that prospect did not feel so grim.

*

As the serialization lengthened, numerous episodes emerged that could not be adequately filled by Kim Dok-Ja’s fable fragments or companion interviews alone.

Yi Gil-Yeong grumbled, “Can’t we just glaze over it like last time?”

“Since when have I ever skated past anything? Yi Seol-Hwa, prepare that device I requested!”

At her command, Yi Seol-Hwa wheeled a strange contraption fitted with suction cups into the hospital room.

Yu Sang-Ah blinked. “....Is that not the Fable fragment extractor?”

Yi Seol-Hwa signaled agreement. “Yes. We are going to extract the fragments from everyone.”

“Our Fables?”

“You may not recall everything; some fragments remain buried in your subconscious. As you know, the bulk of a Fable is stored within the deep mind.”

“Ah, it’s quite embarrassing... what if strange Fables manifest?”

Evidently hoping for exactly that, Han Su-Yeong cut in with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “Yi Gil-Yeong, Yi Ji-Hye. You two are up first.”

The duo backed away, hesitant.

“Argh, why us? We told you everything, remember? Right, noona?”

“Of course, of course!”

Ignoring their protests, Han Su-Yeong shoved them into chairs and affixed the suction cups to their foreheads.

Yi Gil-Yeong winced. “Ahhh? It feels bizarre! Like a sink plunger is latched to my head!”

Tsu-chuchuchu!

“Euh-hihiheek?!”

[‘Yi Gil-Yeong’s’ complete Fable has been extracted!]

[Fable, ‘Demon King Fanatic’, has commenced chanting.]

⸢”Oh, oh~ Dok-Ja hyung mentioned this~ back then....”⸥

“I knew it. The name of the Fable even contains ‘Fanatic’.”

Yi Gil-Yeong slumped, choosing silence. Han Su-Yeong glared at the boy before turning her attention to Yi Ji-Hye. Just in time, that girl’s Fable was extracted as well.

[‘Yi Ji-Hye’s’ Fable fragment has been extracted!]

[Fable fragment, ‘Natural-born Bender of Facts’, has begun its storytelling!]

“Oh my? Why don’t you write this novel instead of me?”

Yi Ji-Hye averted her gaze, whistling nervously.

“You two, touch my manuscript again and I will end you. Do you hear me?”

“....We won’t.”

“Fine. As for the rest....”

Han Su-Yeong stood, reaching for a suction cup, only for Jeong Hui-Won to mischievously slap a device onto the author’s own head first.

“Ah?! What the hell! Remove this! Now!”

[‘Han Su-Yeong’s’ Fable fragment has been extracted!]

[Fable fragment, ‘Memories of a Lemon Candy’, has begun its storytelling.]

⸢”By the way, I’ve been sucking on that, you know?”

“Okay. So?”

“....You can be so dull sometimes. Do you realize that?”⸥

Jeong Hui-Won chuckled. “Oh-hoh, look at that? Our dear author-nim, why ever did you omit such a delectable scene from the narrative?”

“.......”

“Sang-Ah-ssi, let us perform the extraction. We must finish ours so our dear author-nim can wrap up her manuscript.”

While Han Su-Yeong gnashed her teeth, the remaining companions submitted to the extraction.

[‘Yu Sang-Ah’s’ Fable fragment has been extracted!]

[Fable fragment, ‘Hard work, sincerity, patience’, has been extracted.]

“....What?? Was that your family motto?”

“Everyone should follow Yu Sang-Ah-ssi’s example.”

[Additional Fable fragment has been extracted from ‘Yu Sang-Ah’.]

[Fable fragment, ‘Memories of their first sharp, cold hand-holding’, has been extracted!]

Jeong Hui-Won’s eyes sparkled in recognition. It was a Fable she identified. However, several people in the room were oblivious to its context.

Han Su-Yeong asked, “What is this? You held Kim Dok-Ja’s hand?”

“Mm~. I’d forgotten it entirely. There was something like that, wasn’t there?”

“Why ever did you hold his hand?”

“Are you curious?”

“I have to write the novel, so hurry up and spill it!”

Jeong Hui-Won smiled. “Hey, Han Su-Yeong. Is it so odd for close comrades to hold hands? Why react so....”

[‘Jeong Hui-Won’s’ Fable fragment has been extracted!]

[Fable fragment, ‘I’ve seen the Demon King of Salvation’s Black Flame Dragon’, has been extracted.]

Han Su-Yeong narrowed her eyes. “Ah, so close comrades can exhibit such things too?”

“Hahaha... I suspect this device has developed a technical error.”

[‘Yi Hyeon-Seong’s’ Fable fragment has been extracted!]

[Fable fragment, ‘I’ve seen the Demon King of Salvation’s Black Flame Dragon’, has been extracted!]

Jeong Hui-Won asked, stunned. “Hyeon-Seong-ssi? Why do you possess that Fable as well?”

“Hui-Won-ssi, have you forgotten? We witnessed it together, didn’t we?”

“What is it, what is it? What did you two see?”

As Jang Ha-Yeong pressed them, Jeong Hui-Won grew flustered, mumbling incoherently.

While suspicion flickered around the room, Han Su-Yeong slunk toward the extractor, visibly anxious. She pivoted between the companions and the machine with a complex expression before tentatively reaching for the power button.

Jeong Hui-Won spotted the movement too late. “Han Su-Yeong, what are you doing?! Listen closely so you don’t muddle the facts la....”

[Analysis on the additional Fable fragment of ‘Han Su-Yeong’ has been completed.]

[Fable fragment, ‘I burst Demon King’s Black Flame Dragon by mista....]

Simultaneously, Han Su-Yeong killed the device’s power.

*

⸢”Okay, so. The attack from Jeon Woo-Chi landed in.... my ‘private area’, is that what happened?”⸥

While typing the additional content for the opening section, Han Su-Yeong grumbled, “Dammit, what an absurd incident.”

Her strangest Fable had been seconds away from exposure.

Regardless, she proceeded to craft the manuscript, finally free from distractions thanks to the extra input.