Han Sooyoung’s despair (2)

Klein frowned and took a step forward, looking around the place.

Why was he suddenly in Sefirah Castle when he was supposed to be in the Nameless City? Were these two places actually the same location?

However, the scenario's contents remained the same, signaling that it wasn't an error.

+

[Bounty Scenario – Find the Key]

Category: Bounty

Difficulty: SS

Clear Conditions: Find the Silver Key in the Nameless City.

Time Limit: None.

Compensation: ???

Failure: None.

+

A Silver Key…

He looked around the vast expanse of fog.

But why would there be a key here?

Zhou Mingrui took out a cane and tried to divine the 'key''s location, but failed.

He was going to have to find it himself.

***

An unknown amount of time later, Zhou Mingrui frowned.

He had already looked through Sefirah Castle several times.

Zhou Mingrui read the scenario's contents once again.

Maybe what he was searching for wasn't a literal key, but a metaphorical key?

Then what could be considered a key?

Now matter how he thought about it, he couldn't find the answer.

Not expecting anything, he went to the outskirts of the castle and questioned the Hounds of Fulgrim.

"By any chance, have you seen a key around here?"

The hounds stared at him for a while before heading toward the fog of history.

Helpless, Zhou Mingrui looked at them leave then sat down, thoughtful.

In the first place, why was this quest given to him?

The fact that the Nameless City was Sefirah Castle indicated that he may be the only one able to complete it in the first place.

Then, as the master of Sefirah Castle, how could he not be aware of the existence of a key?

Zhou Mingrui searched through his memories.

He recalled his ascension to a god, his promotion to godhood, when he became a Beyonder…

Gradually, he realized something.

His intuition was telling him that it was there. The answer should be in his memories.

However, which memories?

Zhou Mingrui reviewed his experience again and again but did not find it.

What was it?

As he did so, he felt more and more that something was wrong.

It was as if some memories that should be there weren't there and some things that had happened shouldn't have happened. However, there were no holes in his memory nor any obvious discrepancies.

As this indescribable feeling grew, he stood up and went in the direction the Hounds of Fulgrim had left.

Entering the fog of history, he thought he didn't have anything to lose by trying.

Then, he looked through the events of his life one by one until he finally found some blanks.

Reaching out his hand, he removed the fog and saw a memory he wasn't supposed to have.

In it, there was a strangely familiar silver key, resembling the description of what he was searching for.

What it was appeared in his mind at the same time.

'The Error Uniqueness.'

Zhou Mingrui left the fog of history.

Right, it was obvious, why hadn't he thought of it earlier?

But wasn't the Error Uniqueness completely integrated with him?

Driven by a weird intuition, the Lord of Mysteries walked back into Sefirah Castle, to the place where the familiar long bronze table was supposed to be.

Then, on the floor, he saw a silver key. The Error Uniqueness.

After he had searched through the place a few times, it was as if it had suddenly appeared.

Zhou Mingrui bent down and picked it up.

[You have completed the bounty scenario!]

However, oddly, he felt as if it wasn't the key he was supposed to find.

[Compensation settlement is in progress.]

[Your reward is to learn the reason for your presence in this world.]

On top of that, the scenario's reward was also unexpected.

[The constellation 'Goddess of Sleepy Flowers' greets you.]

At that moment, a True God's voice resounded throughout Sefirah Castle.

It was a soft, soothing and familiar voice.

[Hello, Mysteries.]

'The Evernight Goddess?'

Unexpectedly, the Evernight Goddess had also come to this world.

***

[Do you know Cthulhu mythology?]

"I know it a little."

As a keyboard warrior, Zhou Mingrui knew a bit about everything and had naturally learnt about Cthulhu mythology.

[Cthulu mythology said that 'the Great Old Ones had come from the stars to rule the world in ages past.']

Zhou Mingrui nodded. Now that he thought about it, it had a striking resemblance with Earth's current situation.

['When the stars were right, They could plunge from world to world through the sky; but when the stars were wrong, They could not live. But although They no longer lived, They would never really die. They all lay in stone houses in Their great city of R'lyeh, preserved by the spells of mighty Cthulhu for a glorious resurrection when the stars and the earth might once more be ready for Them.']

When the stars were right… There was indeed a similar prophecy.

The Evernight Goddess continued to explain. She told him about how this world was created by an author who wrote a novel entitled 'Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World', an author he had already met in the past.

[Cthulhu, a character never mentioned in Ways of Survival, will arrive at the alignment of the stars. Most of Cthulhu mythology were true facts written by Recorders of Fears and the one named 'Cthulu' is the real enemy we will have to confront at the end of the world. The strongest and most terrifying one.]

"So I was sent to this world in advance to get rid of 'Cthulu' before he wakes up and reaches Earth?"

[This isn't exactly a world, but a dream. When you eliminate the hidden danger remaining in this dream, you will naturally come back. That's why we've been searching for Cthulhu's location for a while now.]

"…And the author of Ways of Survival, Han Sooyoung, may be the closest to knowing where he is with Predictive Plagiarism."

At that moment, a message appeared.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' says that Cthulhu was finally found.]

***

Since she arrived in this world, Xin Jian didn't stop searching through the world lines for traces of Cthulhu.

However, she could search in certain places, like in the scenarios that didn't happen yet, so she needed someone to reach the end of the scenarios.

Whether it was Cale or Zhou Mingrui, they were strong individuals that needed to stay in this world line to help Yoo Jonghyuk reach the end faster, so she froze that world and put it in a state of constant reset each time Yoo Jonghyuk died.

Even though it was a temporary measure, it could help them earn time.

Finally, she figured that, since Han Sooyoung was also searching for Cthulhu and was the closest to learning where he was thanks to Predictive Plagiarism, she could look through the locations the author had already investigated.

Standing in the last place Han Sooyoung had been seen, Xin Jian stared at the ruins thoughtfully.

"What is the common points between them…"

Having followed clues and Han Sooyoung's previous trails, Xin Jian was suddenly inspired by Klein's scenario.

'Ah!'

The one she had asked Secretive Plotter to give him and that had come out in a weird form.

'If it's a key, then…'

A key must be inserted into a door to open it.

'And if I follow this way of thinking…'

Xin Jian turned back and went to the corresponding location.

Feeling the familiar aura, she put her hand on it and confirmed her guess.

'…As expected.'

A 'door' that a 'key' can open. Behind that 'door', Cthulhu was there.

She sent an indirect message to Klein to lead him to where she was.

*

With the silver key in hand, Zhou Mingrui arrived in front of a giant door and saw an unexpected person.

Xin Jian smiled at him and waved her hand.

Snapping out of his daze, Zhou Mingrui shook his head and regained his calm.

Seeing him approach, she pointed at the keyhole.

"You can put it here."

Zhou Mingrui nodded and advanced toward the door. However, someone suddenly blocked his path.

"No."

It was Han Sooyoung.

"I won't let you open this door."

With a strange determination in her gaze. Han Sooyoung brandished her sword. She would stop them at all costs, even if she had to sacrifice herself.

All this time, she had been trying to find that existence so that nobody would be able to get rid of it.

"Why?" Zhou Mingrui asked.

When Xin Jian told Secretive Plotter that their goal was the opposite of his, her true meaning was that it was it would achieve the opposite of the reason why Yoo Jonghyuk was regressing.

In other words, to find Kim Dokja.

Are you wondering how killing Cthulu would affect Kim Dokja?

"Because if Cthulhu disappears, it will destroy the Most Ancient Dream's dream of these last rounds."

If this dream where Kim Dokja didn't reach the end of the scenarios and didn't divide himself into fragments shattered, she would lose her last chance to be the closest to Kim Dokja.

"I don't want to lose Kim Dokja again."

It was enough if she knew she could see him in the train at any time as 100% Kim Dokja; but once this dream ended, his soul would be scattered once again and she didn't want it.

"I didn't create this world and sacrifice all these people to simply watch Kim Dokja disappear. So, as the creator of the Star Stream, I will save him!"

This was the reason she had spent 10 years writing Ways of Survival in the first place.

Suddenly, murderous intent appeared behind her, and a menacing voice resounded.

"What?"

They weren't the only ones here.

"You are the creator of the Star Stream?"

Han Sooyoung's eyes widened as she turned her head to the side.

Yoo Jonghyuk, who had heard the end of her words, was shocked to find out about this fact.

The Star Stream that had made so many people die, the cause of the scenarios and the constellations he wanted to kill because they found amusement in such stories…

The culprit for all of these was her?

Yoo Jonghyuk reached for his sword with an even stronger murderous intent.

With hatred burning in his eyes, Yoo Jonghyuk remembered all the regressions and scenarios he had to go through because of the Star Stream and pointed his blade at her.

"I'm going to kill you."

Han Sooyoung felt a chill go down her spine.