Beyond the Eternity-Chapter 245: Alternate World Bubble [4]

I moved toward the main area, where Soo Jinyoung and the Seoul Kings stood, waiting for the starting announcement of the next story.

As I approached, Soo Jinyoung glanced back at me, as if sensing my presence. Her expression was unreadable.

"So, you came."

"Of course. I can't just sit around while everyone else is active."

"Where did you go? The others were looking for you."

"I was making a few preparations here and there. Then ran into some complications, and… well, this is the result."

"Preparations?" She paused, then said, "I see. If you took the time to prepare, then you must already know the nature of the Seventh Story."

I didn't answer immediately. From the corner of my vision, I noticed she wasn't facing me directly. She had been speaking without looking my way.

Then she continued, "I think you should sit this one out."

"That's so kind of you, but I can take care of myself."

"The Seventh Story isn't like the Sixth Story. If you're not careful, you could really die this time."

It was understandable why Soo Jinyoung would say that.

The Seventh Story was a massive leap in difficulty compared to the Sixth. In fact, it wasn't an exaggeration to say everyone could perish at the final stage. It wasn't necessarily impossible when I thought about the situation.

But why would I back down just because of something as trivial as fear or anxiety?

Truly, it made no sense.

Fear had never stopped me before so why would it now?

Even so, there was something odd about this exchange.

I looked at Soo Jinyoung and smiled. "I must admit, I didn't think you cared about me this much."

"Hmph. Certainly, I don't care whether you live or die. Feel free to do whatever you want."

"As expected, your words are truly filled with love. I'm so touched, I might just give you a big kiss."

"Do you want to go to hell? I can arrange a meeting with Hades."

By 'meeting with Hades,' she wasn't talking about a formal introduction. Her grip on the Phoenix Dragon Sword tightened and she subtly evoked her pressure. This was magic power release.

Of course, I wasn't intimidated.

At the very least, my spirituality (神性) had grown to a point where her murderous intent (杀意) couldn't shake me.

Spirituality naturally provided resistance to such things, after all.

Then, there was also the «Black Box.»

Still maintaining my smile, I addressed the reincarnator. "Like I said before, I'm not some sissy who can't take care of himself. Honestly, it'd be embarrassing if I went through all that trouble preparing only to die like an idiot, so don't underestimate me too much."

I tilted my head slightly. "By the way, you're way too stiff. Do you attack everyone who teases you? You should really work on your communication skills."

Soo Jinyoung frowned at my nonchalant demeanor. She was probably wondering why I was so confident.

There was a reasonable answer to that, but she would never know it.

I briefly glanced at the items I had acquired while trapped in that dungeon.

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[Item Information]

➤ | Exoskeletal Centurion |

Type: Living Entity

Object Class: Dormant

Description: A

➤ | Exoskeletal Crimson Demon |

Type: Living Entity

Object Class: Dormant

Description: : A

➤ | Wraithbound Dark Knight |

Type: Living Entity

Object Class: Dormant

Description: A

➤ | Crimson Carapace Lich I |

Type: Living Entity

Object Class: Dormant

Description: The head of the Crimson Carapace Lich, compressed into a pair of glasses. Increases the perception of the wearer.

Effects: Perception +20, Agility +20

➤ | Crimson Carapace Lich II |

Type: Living Entity

Object Class: Dormant

Description: The left hand of the Crimson Carapace Lich, reduced to an earring.

Effects: Defence +10, Agility +10

➤ | Crimson Carapace Lich III |

Type: Living Entity

Object Class: Dormant

Description: The right hand of the Crimson Carapace Lich, reduced to a ring. Increases right hand's strength.

Effects: Strength +20, Agility +20

+

Three rings, an earring and sung glasses. These weren't ordinary items.

You might have already guessed the answer, but they were the living bodies of

*Item bonuses are being applied.

*if items are removed or destroyed, your stats will return to their original values.

+

Laughter almost emerged. This was truly the miracle of «Drafting».

While I bolstered my spirituality through the Gluttony aspect of the [Black Box], I used [Drafting] to reshape Nightmares into Living Artifacts.

Though there was a cap on how much I could enhance my stats due to narrative constraints, that didn't apply to Items!

By the time I realized this, after spending two days in that place without food or water, I was so ecstatic I nearly lost my mind.

No, that wasn't quite right.

I slaughtered Nightmares until I ran completely mad.

It was great.

It was wonderful.

Perhaps it was good to let it loose once in a while.

Madness.

No, Insanity.

A foreign pleasure that couldn't be described with mere words.

Have you ever walked into the rain and let it soak your body?

That feeling of freedom beneath the night sky?

Insanity was like that.

But more.

Absolute.

And in that absoluteness, nothing you did truly registered. Your mind simply filtered it out.

No logic.

No thought.

Everything became meaningless.

And I was free.

In a sense, wouldn't that be what you call…

Complete Transcendence?

Naturally, I wasn't capable of achieving such a thing.

What I felt was nothing more than a blackout.

And when I regained awareness…

I realized I had killed everything.

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I had truly gone insane in that moment.

A voice pulled me from my reverie. I turned and saw Soo Jinyoung watching me with a strange expression.

"...Yes?"

"Why are you spacing out like that?"

"I was just thinking about something. Did you need me for something?"

Soo Jinyoung exhaled, and relaxed her shoulders.

"Like I said, it would be better for you not to participate in this story. I won't stop you if you insist… but I don't think you'll even be able to participate."

"...What?"

She didn't answer.

Instead, she simply lifted her hand and gestured toward the sky.

I followed her gaze and saw a floating screen suspended in the air.

Displayed on it were the participants of the Seventh Story.

My eyes narrowed as I scanned the names, recognizing a few all too well.

… I see. So that's how it is.

That bastard Park Joonhyuk had managed to enter the narrative ahead of time.

He must have used some method exclusive to readers. But I didn't expect him to be working with the regressor.

Either way, with one group already inside, only four groups from the Seoul Dome could participate.

Those guys really know how to spoil the show.

Or was this the work of a constellation?

I swept my gaze around the vicinity.

Since it was like this, one of the Seoul Kings would have to drop out before I could participate with the remaining party members.

But the question was who?

Eventually, my eyes met Moon Jiyeon's. She smiled and waved in my direction. It seemed she understood what I was planning.

"I'll stay behind for this story."

Moon Jiyeon raised her hands and declared her abstention. It was a smart move. She had no real reason to risk her life here, so stepping back was the logical choice.

Before making my decision, I glanced at the Seoul Kings.

The Hanged Man, Hwang Dowon.

The Sun, Han Taeyang.

The Justice, Yoo Hyewon.

The Outcast King, Park Yewon.

Hwang Dowon and Yoo Hyewon weren't leading their own teams. Instead, they had joined the Outcast King's group.

It seemed that decision had been made before the meetup. This was the most logical choice, but how did she convince them?

Finally, I turned to the remaining party members, the ones Soo Jinyoung had left behind.

Jung Yunhee, Lee Suhye, Yoo Jinsung, Kuro Miyuki.

What a greedy woman. She had taken all the heavy hitters and left me with the so-called leftovers.

But what she didn't realize was that even these people could be useful.

I smiled at them and declared, "We'll be participating in this story."

"Really? We can participate?"

"We'll participate as another group."

"Is that so? Alright! Ha ha!"

Lee Suhye and Yoo Jinsung became excited. They were always high-spirited, but this felt different.

It wasn't just enthusiasm, but also relief.

As if they had been afraid of being left behind.

Meanwhile, Jung Yunhee and Miyuki simply smiled, not at the mission, but at me.

As if my presence was what they had been anticipating all along.

... Damn. It was good to be back.

[Have you all chosen your groups? I will now begin the transfer sequence. But first, take this.]

An object materialized in the hands of each group leader, including mine.

It was something that resembled a badge—yet at the same time, it wasn't.

[Transfer Badge]

[Seoul Dome, Group 4. Leader: Kim Jakga.]

This was it.

The item that would take us to another world. My name and group number glowed in neon lettering.

Aurora continued with a serious voice.

[These are your Transfer Badges.]

[They are your anchors to the Seventh Story. Regardless of the reason or circumstances, do not lose them if you value your lives.]

[I won't repeat this warning.]

A heavy silence fell over the group. Someone swallowed hard.

This wasn't just another mission. We were stepping into a serious narrative.

[Since everyone understands, let's start this story.]

Leaving behind those final words, Aurora flicked her fingers.

Then—

[All qualifications confirmed.]

[The Transfer Badge has activated.]

The badges pulsed with light.

One by one, the participants were swallowed by a brilliant glow.

I felt my body dissolve into countless particles of light. The same phenomenon happened to the group members. Our bodies broke down and vanished from this world.

Only a single message echoed when we departed from this world:

[The Main Narrative has begun.]