Episode 9. Words That Can't Be Said (4)
< Episode 9. Words That Can't Be Said (4) >
[You have entered the 'Snowfield'.]
In the colorless world, all blood looked the same.
No red blood, no blue blood. Everything was gray.
I felt sad.
In this wide world.
[The exclusive skill '⬜⬜' resonates with your emotions.]
There's not a single piece of paper for extras.
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# Words That Can't Be Said
「⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜....」
* At your current skill level, you can write a total of 260 additional characters.
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[You can stay in the 'Snowfield' for a total of 3 minutes.]
I began to write. It wasn't a story I was writing for anyone.
There are stories like that. Stories that are neither artistic nor interesting, but you can't resist
writing them.
[You have described something that cannot be evaluated.]
[You cannot assess the reproduction success rate of this story.]
[You can't measure the probability you've been granted.]
[Checking the reader's feedback.]
[There is no reader's feedback.]
There was no feedback.
However.
[rlaehrwk37 recognizes your story.]
Someone has definitely read this story.
[rlaehrwk61 recognizes your story.]
[rlaehrwk99 recognizes your story.]
[rlaehrwk73 recognizes your story.]
....
[You've earned probability from a certain number of referrals.]
[Successfully recreating the scene.]
[Leaving the 'Snowfield'.]
I blinked slowly, and the colors of the world returned.
In front of my eyes, a ground rat bit a breathless person.
「Lee Hakhyun knew. Why the extras were never talked about.」
I know better than anyone.
It's the writer, not anyone else, who excludes the extras from the story.
「Because their stories are already written.」
An unnamed ground rat bit an unnamed man to death.
As I stabbed the nameless ground rats again, I thought to myself.
「These pages, which no one can read, are their story.」
What had been a gray, snowy world was now covered in red and blue blood.
Stories that are not told because they are everywhere.
Death in the middle of unwritten lines.
「There are no sentences for extras.」
It was a matter of course.
The moment you write a sentence for an extra, they become a protagonist.
When one person becomes the protagonist, the rest become extras.
"Help—"
"KKuaaak!"
I barely saved one person, and another died.
I never learned the names of the dead. Even though I was right next to them, I couldn't see how
they died.
Dead people with their eyes open as if in mourning.
Damn it, even in this scene, I was a writer. An insensitive recorder, trying to write a sentence on
the blank space created by their deaths.
「Nevertheless, someone has to make footprints in this snowfield.」
A ground rat nibbled at my thigh.
「Someone has to be the protagonist, after all.」
I swatted it away, and a second one bit my arm.
「That's what this snowfield is for.」
I slammed my arm down on its head. But when I killed one, two came, and when I shook them
off, three came.
"N-no—"
"Inho-ssi! Stop! Inho-ssi!"
Looking back at the stairwell, I saw the faces of Kyung Sein, Dansoo ahjussi, and Ye Hyunwoo
one after another.
Gong Pildu and Jung Heewon hadn't regained consciousness yet.
Lee Jihye was busy fending off the monsters coming up the stairwell.
"Ahjussi, what are you doing! Hurry up and come this way!"
There were still quite a few people who hadn't made it to the stairwell. The fort formations had
all collapsed, and the people were cornered.
At this rate, Chungmuro Station would be wiped out.
I made a decision.
I don't know if this will work.
"Idea."
Still, I had to try.
"Let's go."
'Idea of Almost Anything' gurgled into the bracelet.
I commanded it.
[The exclusive skill 'Incite Lv.5' is activated.]
"Turn into the Ever-changing Stealth Suit."
Ever-changing Stealth Suit.
The disguise item 'RepresentativeKimDokja' was wearing.
At the time, I had fulfilled the requirement of 'being hit 10 times' to obtain the appearance of
'Ever-changing Stealth Suit' which allowed me to place this item in the 'mimicry list'.
[Putting on the 'Ever-changing Stealth Suit'!]
'Transform into a ground rat.'
A moment later, with a blinding flash of light, my appearance changed to that of a ground rat.
The ground rats that had been pouncing on me stopped in their tracks.
They sniffed and hovered around me.
Some of them bared their fangs at me, showing their intense hostility.
I suppose it's natural for them to be suspicious, since they saw me as a human just a moment ago.
I used [Incite] on them.
"I am a ground rat."
A few ground rats came up to me and sniffed, then one by one they scurried past me.
Luckily, the plan worked.
I ran backwards through the procession of ground rats and quickly made my way to the center of
the platform.
I could see two giant centipedes roaring at the ceiling.
Now a bit.
Everywhere I looked, the ground rats left out wild cries.
And then.
「... ...」
I heard a strange voice.
I turned around, wondering where it was coming from.
[Your exclusive attribute is activated].
[You understand the language settings.]
[You are interpreting the language of the ground rats.]
「Go up」
The ground rat was speaking.
「Runrunrunrun」
「Stayclosetomommy」
「Justalittlebitjustalittlebit」
「Upupup」
A ground rat that was passing by me stopped to look at me.
「Notthatway」
It looked at me and added.
「Runthisway」
I asked it.
"Why?"
「BecausethatstheorderBecausethatstheorder」
The order. By who?
The ground rat shuddered, looked back toward the tunnel, and started running past me again.
I couldn't hear the answer, but I knew why it was running.
Humans are not the only participants in scenarios.
Everything in this world belongs to the 'scenario'. This was true even for the ground rats in front
of me.
「Mommy」
「Helphelphelp」
「Cantbreathecantbreathe」
I looked down at the floor. There was a pile of bullet-riddled ground rats corpses.
Dozens of times more than the dead humans.
「The extras, they don't even realize they're extras.」
A huge shadow was casted over me.
「You」
Since when? A giant centipede was bending over my head.
「Why did you come this way?」
I looked around without answering.
This was the center of the station.
People were almost at the top of the stairs. The important thing is to stall the time from now on
until Gong Pildu unleashes the [Armed Zone] again.
[The exclusive skill 'Incite Lv.5' is activated!]
"Look this way!"
In response to my [Incite], a bunch of ground rats turned to look at me.
「Whatwhatwhatwhat」
「Wherewherewherewhere」
It wasn't enough.
I shouted again.
"This way!"
[The exclusive skill 'Incite Lv.5' is being used to the limit!]
[The level of the exclusive skill 'Incite' has increased!]
Poosyuk, Blood trickled from my nose with the sound.
This time, more of them looked back at me. Some of the ground rats that ran straight ahead,
others that jumped up to the stairwell and attacked people.
They were all looking in my direction.
「Whatwhat」
「Whowhowho」
「Whywhywhywhywhy」
I suddenly remembered the 'outer gods' from Omniscient Reader. They were extras who died as
'Nameless Ones' in the worldview of the 'Ways of Survival'.
I was not a Kim Dokja, so I did not have the power to save them.
Instead, I was forced to kill them all to end the scenario.
'Idea.'
I invoked it, and in my mind's eye, I could see the forms I had collected so far.
Magic Power Recovery Bracelet.
Damaged Samyeongdang's Bamboo Stick.
Ever-changing Stealth Suit.
Magic Power Stove.
And....
I didn't want to use this items until the end. Because, in return, the platform would be a dead
zone for a while.
But now I had no other choice.
"Turn into a 'Poison Bomb'."
Poison Bomb. It was an item they left behind when we fought the Misreading Association.
A biochemical weapon made from the anal sac of a poisonous rhinoceros.
I picked up one of the used bombs at the time and put it on the possible mimicry list.
[The consumed item is restored by the effect of 'Idea of Almost Anything'.]
[The rare occasion of shape evolution has occurred!]
[The form of the item has evolved to a higher level!]
['Idea of Almost Anything' has turned into 'High-Level Poison Bomb'.]
A moment later, a faintly glowing bomb appeared in front of me.
[This item is a consumable item.]
[When the item is used, you won't be able to use the form again.]
[The effect of the 'Ever-changing Stealth Suit' will be lifted.]
As I reverted to my normal form, the ground rats growled and showed their hostility.
But none of them pounced on me. Even the giant centipede kept a wary distance and glared at
my hand for a reason.
They know.
If I detonate this bomb now, every monster in the station will be wiped out.
「Ohnomommyimscared」
「Hidebehindmom」
I stared at them for a moment.
「Whatsgoingon」
「Humanhumanhuman」
「IdontwanttodieIdontwanttodie」
I slowly opened my mouth.
[The exclusive skill 'Incite Lv.5' is activated.]
"You don't have to die like this."
I looked back at the ground rats, the giant centipedes, and the grolls.
"Don't hurt any more people and go back. Then I won't kill you either."
[The constellation 'Nail-Eating Rat' admires your boldness.]
[The constellation 'Rice Cake-Eating Tiger' opens its mouth at your suggestion.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' marvels at your integrity.]
I know the odds are slim.
But theoretically, the monsters and humans could resolve the scenario without harming each
other.
[There are 7 hours and 12 minutes remaining until the end of the Emergency Defense Battle.]
I continued.
"Emergency Defense Battle is a scenario with a time limit. It will end at some point, even if they
don't hurt each other."
I could feel the ground rats' agitation.
「A story where no one is the protagonist, maybe.」
The extras had died enough. Monsters and humans alike knew.
[The ground rats are confused by your 'Incite'.]
Monsters, too, are but incarnations. They also fear death.
They have families, they have friends.
They have lives.
Tsuchuchuchuchut!
It was then that sparks exploded in thin air.
[Some dokkaebis find your attempts to be a threat to the scenario.]
[Many constellations are eager to see the scenario unfold quickly!]
[The probability of the
[Your 'Incite' has been lifted.]
[Emergency Defensive Battle will resume.]
[A few constellations laugh at your reckless behavior.]
Looking at the message, I thought.
「After all, isn't this world one giant instigator?」
One of the ground rats looked at me and said.
「Thereisnosuchstory」
With those words, a mischief of ground rats pounced on me.
I replied.
"Yes."
There was a loud explosion. A blizzard of poisonous gas, accompanied by an unpleasant odor,
swept across the platform.
I heard the screams of the monsters. The giant centipedes and ground rats dying, their bodies
spewing black blood.
I could see the monsters from the tunnel falling to the ground as well. As I watched them die, I
thought to myself.
「If only the monsters hadn't died here, this story would have been interesting.」
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' cheers for the mass murder.]
[The constellation 'Rice Cake-Eating Tiger' says that monsters are best when they're dead.]
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' admires your idea.]
[The constellation 'Dragon Lying Down' appreciates your strategy.]
....
I stumbled, barely able to catch my breath. I felt like I was going to collapse at any moment, but
it wasn't time yet.
I swallowed the Poisonous Rhinoceros' Horn Powder little by little and turned around to start
walking.
One step, two steps.
I walked and walked and walked through a landscape swallowed up by the dense fog, stabbing
each approaching ground rat thoroughly, one by one.
I swallowed the nausea that rose. A few times I stumbled over dead bodies, and then got back up.
I heard a small cry in my ear. It was a dying ground rat. I was about to strike it down with my
thorn.
Kking.
I realized that the ground rat was already dead. Instead, I found a tiny creature squirming in its
arms.
It was a ground rat pup.
I stared down at it in disbelief.
「After all, every story has a protagonist.」
As if it wanted to live, the pup struggled to breath and exhale with difficulty.
I could see the tip of its nose turning black from exposure to the gas.
I bent down and scooped it up in my arms. I poured a little of the remaining Poisonous
Rhinoceros' Horn Powder into its mouth.
Its groans gradually ceased.
[The constellation 'Sneaking Schemer' is watching your story.]
I walked across the platform with the pup in my arms. It was hard to see through the fog.
[The constellation 'Lotus Blooming Under the Moonlight' is watching your story.]
I walked and walked and walked, relying on the faint voices of the stars.
Little by little, my consciousness faded.
I could hear voices in the distance.
They were the voices of those looking for me.
The tip of my foot caught on something hard. It was the stairs. I had to go up.
[A constellation who hasn't revealed their modifier is watching your story.]
I glanced back absentmindedly.
The bodies of so many monsters and humans, now buried in the thick fog, were nowhere to be
seen.
I took a step up the stairs, and a single footprint imprinted itself.
[You have achieved an impossible feat.]
It was a pitch black footprint.
[Your first 'story' is germinating.]
I went up the stairs.
Author's Note
Thank you.