Chapter 38
The original name was simply “The One Who Breathes Fire.”’
That title changed and rose in rank purely because of what he did after becoming a “third party.”
He created imitations, and those imitations were of far higher quality than others. And on top of that…
‘…Surpassing the master.’
There were even cases where the imitation surpassed the original. Of course, those were only one or two among the thousands of imitations he made, and it was under the assumption that the originals themselves weren’t of particularly high quality.
It was the moment when something that had been nothing but a 0% probability, just a hypothesis and possibility, manifested. The fact that the hypothesis had been proven alone was enough to raise his standing.
Maybe that’s why I paid an absurd price for it.
Lee Hoin poured out all the spirit stones he had. That still wasn’t enough, so I added about half of mine too.
I didn’t really mind.
‘As for me.’
It wasn’t incomplete. Nor was it an imitation.
—
[Broken Astraea]
The justice Astraea sought to uphold has collapsed.
The sword is broken, and the tears have oxidized.
This is not justice being established, but justice that has crumbled.
Astraea has lost. She is no longer justice, but decay.
A deceitful justice, a blade of ruin.
Do not assign meaning to this blade any longer.
Do not assign justice to it.
Let Astraea’s tears dry.
※ Rank: E-
※ Durability: 10/10
—
I bought something that had been sitting on a bargain stall, practically clearance trash.
It bore the name of a god, but it was closer to fallen divinity. A trace of an Astraea from some other worldline who had failed.
The fact that it didn’t even have a single decent skill attached, despite borrowing a god’s name, made that obvious.
—
[A failed divinity… Why would you need something like this?]
[Perhaps… a sense of kinship?]
—
It held a legend, but it was a failed one, so it had no real value as a legend.
Even so, I took it because I needed that “failed divinity.”
There exists a world that operates on the principle that ‘divinity always succeeds.’
‘And to break that world, you need corrupted divinity.’
At least I was able to get it cheaply.
It was already a dagger, and since it was broken in half, it fit perfectly into the transfer mark.
“Let’s go.”
It was about time we returned to our world.
Cha Hyeongseo and Lee Hoin nodded.
Lee Hoin’s face was clearly different from when we first entered this place. Whether it was growth or just the result of us crawling through the mud? I couldn’t tell.
We moved again.
There was no benefit in overthinking things.
—
[Evasion! A very fine skill!]
—
***
—
[You have cleared ‘♠Survival Survival♠’ event hosted by ‘Eternal Pleasure Seeker’.]
[A gift from ‘Eternal Pleasure Seeker’ has arrived.]
—
When we walked down the corridor, Lee Hoin and I were standing in front of the same entrance we had come through.
And…
‘Cha Hyeongseo is gone.’
Since we exited the same entrance, that meant she must’ve come out alone, too.
“…Hey, what are we going to do? Go look for her?”
Go look for Cha Hyeongseo?
‘We’ve already reached the end of the road we walk together.’
She’s part of the protagonist’s group. We’re not.
We’re just extras. Minor roles that shouldn’t cross paths with the protagonist. Or tools for him.
It didn’t take long to decide. I shook my head immediately.
“We need to find somewhere to stay. The sun’s setting.”
Our journey with Cha Hyeongseo ended here.
I just hoped we wouldn’t meet again.
Lee Hoin looked up at the sky and quietly agreed.
The sun really was setting. Once it went down, movement would become difficult. We needed a place to rest before then. And we didn’t have any food either.
We searched a nearby mart for supplies, then got into the car we had used to come here. We chewed through some cold food, covered all the windows, and closed our eyes.
“Where are we going tomorrow?”
Lee Hoin asked as if it were obvious.
I thought for a moment before answering.
“Drive first.”
Our next destination…
Jamsil. The amusement park.
‘It’s not a long event.’
It’s actually a short one. You just have to enjoy the rides.
Though the definition of “enjoy” is a bit… different.
Still, as we are now…
Lee Hoin is stable, and we’re armed.
Just as I was about to close my eyes, I heard the cry of a mutant in the distance.
Only then did it really hit me that we had escaped that place.
Quietly, I opened the gift from the “Eternal Pleasure Seeker.”
—
[Message from ‘Eternal Pleasure Seeker’: Congratulations, you foolish humans. By surviving, you’ve become a more delicious story.]
—
Inside was a cliché letter, along with something called a “Trait Awakening Booster.”
It was called a booster, but it looked like a syringe. Something unpleasant and sticky writhed inside it.
—
[Congratulations! Whether you draw a dud or a jackpot, you now hold the roulette in your hands!]
[The narrator’s story has deepened…]
[Chapter 4: Survival Event (Co-op) ▼]
The narrator has survived!
Praise be to this tenacious lifeline!
—
I quietly pushed it into my palm.
Lee Hoin, watching me, did the same before speaking.
“…You’re not injecting it alone again, right?”
“No.”
After scanning our surroundings, I told him to take out the medicine we got from the “Lamb of Pessimism.”
“Drink it now.”
This might be the right time.
***
The next morning, once the sun rose, I fed Lee Hoin, who had barely woken up, while sitting him across from me.
After removing the cloths covering the windows, I started the engine.
—
[Chapter 5: Moving, moving! ▼]
You are moving.
Where would you like to go?
[〉 Wherever your feet take you.]
—
A blinking window soon presented another option.
—
[〉 Why ask? I already decided. I know this story. (Possession active)]
—
And so we moved forward.
‘It’d be nice to get a better vehicle.’
Once vigilante groups start forming, vehicles like this will either get taken or attract too much attention.
But that’s not an immediate concern.
We headed toward Jamsil, the destination I had decided on yesterday.
Everything fell behind us…
The place I lived, the place Lee Hoin lived, the place we thought we’d be stuck in forever unless we became independent.
‘…I wonder how far Sa Jaeheon has gotten.’
The car pushed through the wrecked streets somehow.
Even after a long drive, there wasn’t much for two guys to talk about.
Or rather…
At this moment, there weren’t many things we could talk about.
And the few topics we had were all… uncomfortable.
“……”
Silence was better.
—
[We should just cut these filler episodes with nothing to write about!]
[Paper is being wasted…]
[Ah, this poor commentator despises the possession trait… (sobs)]
—
***
Screeech!
The car came to a stop.
The reason was simple, a window appeared in front of us.
Right in front of Jamsil Amusement Park, a window popped up as if it had been waiting.
—
╓═══════════════★═══════════════╖
⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊ Land of Adventure and Fantasy ⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊
This is a land filled with adventure and mystery!
Adventurer, have you come to uncover our secrets?
. ₊ ⊹ . ₊˖ . ₊ We are always ready! . ₊ ⊹ . ₊˖ . ₊
Come, come inside!
We invite you, adventurer, into our mystery!
※ It may be somewhat dangerous! But adventure is always ‘dangerous’!
⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊ Current participants: 18/33 ⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊
╙═══════════════★═══════════════╜
—
A flashy window fitting the amusement park theme.
Definitely different from that “Eternal Pleasure Seeker bastard.” Just looking at how decorated it was made that obvious.
Lee Hoin, now somewhat more alert, looked at me.
—
[A new co-op event!]
[Now then, what kind of ‘possession moment’ will you show this time?]
—
I quietly looked at him.
I didn’t say it out loud, but this was something that needed to be addressed.
After drinking the “Success Story of Intuition and Prediction,” what had he gained?
‘What I want to know is–’
Not whether he gained a bunch of positive traits.
But whether he picked up any negative traits, or if his mental strength had dropped too much.
That was my biggest concern.
If things went wrong, we’d both die.
“Did you get anything from there?”
Lee Hoin let out a small sigh and shook his head.
“…No.”
“Not positive, what about negative? Anything?”
“Nothing. I just saw a window saying something was sprouting.”
That was a relief.
Still, it seemed like something ‘had’ started.
‘For now, at least.’
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