Episode 11 Artwork (1)

These days, whenever I pass out, I have a thought. Maybe I will meet Kim Dok-ja again this

time.

I was always thinking of questions to ask when meeting Kim Dokja.

Where are you now?

Why did you call me here?

What story are you reading right now?

[Current state of consciousness is unstable.]

Unfortunately, when I opened my eyes, it was not a snowy field.

I could see the dark scene of the theater around me. It was a theater where kkomas Kim Dokja

was gathered.

As soon as I woke up, I thought of Jung Jaewoo. At the last moment, Jung Jaewoo disappeared

as 'kkoma Kim Dokja'.

Maybe he's here too.

People huddled around the theater and sat down. Small backs of heads were visible.

If it had been before, I would have thought of it as cute, but now a part of my heart felt cold.

Perhaps, aren't these ' kkomas Kim Dokja' all dead readers?

The moment I slowly opened my mouth and tried to call Jung Jaewoo's name,

「"Yoo Jonghyuk."」

Voices came from the speakers in front.

There were two people on the screen. One is Yoo Jonghyuk in a black coat, and the other...

「"Who are you?"」

Yoo Jonghyuk asked, and someone answered.

「"The one who came to finish your story."」

It felt like my heart was sinking.

I cannot be done.

Those two shouldn't fight now.

I have to get out of here right now.

I felt my body slowly disintegrate. My consciousness will be awakened again.

Wow, the fight of the century!

At the last moment, I heard kkoma Kim Dokja beside me shouting like that.

*

When I woke up, Killer King was kicking me with his foot.

"You're a weakling. To think you've lost your mind with just such a wound."

I groaned lightly and got up.

It was dark night. I could faintly feel the warmth of the bonfire.

It seems that I got help from the Killer King siblings.

"Please eat."

Killer King's younger sister supported me and handed me a teacup. When I sniffed it, it turned

out that it was someone who had put herbs in it and boiled it.

"Thank you."

Judging by the color and scent, it seems that Elaine's 'dawn dew' or 'Baekoncho' was added.

All of them were food ingredients that did not appear in the main story when reading.

"It's not venom, so there's no doubt about it. I won't do that twice."

"I just smelled it because I liked the smell of tea."

"This is a newly discovered medicine. It's good for restoring mana and mental strength."

Killer King said that and drank it as if to demonstrate.

I felt a strange feeling when I saw a reader who naturally finds material that the author did not

write.

Even if it leaves the hand of the writer, the story continues.

「Does Han Soo-young know about this?」

Along with a faint headache, the dream I had seen before flashed through my head.

As I looked around in a hurry, Killer King said.

"Jung Heewon is over here."

Next to the bonfire, Jung Heewon was asleep under a light blanket. When I put my hand to the

tip of her nose, I could feel her breath.

There doesn't seem to be any trauma, but I think it was a mental attack.

Jung Heewon still seems to have not recovered from the aftereffects of [Incite]. I briefly

mentioned the situation instead of a detailed explanation.

"I met the Misreading Association."

As expected, Killer King's attitude changed.

"Tell me in detail."

I exhaled lightly and started talking about the gathering of readers under the theater dungeon.

Without even listening to a few words, Killer King quickly grasped the situation.

"Is it. The scenario has changed. Are they considerate of latecomers?"

Especially after hearing that a guy who called himself 'the writer' appeared, Killer King's eyes

began to take on an eerie light.

"Author? You said he went with the Misreading Association guys?"

I don't know, but I wonder if Yoo Jonghyuk made that kind of expression when he was stabbed

in the back by Anna Croft in the second episode.

But Killer King quickly regained his composure.

"You don't know it, but [false detection] can cheat by adjusting to the speaker's beliefs, or the

value of the information being said."

It's something I know, but I nodded my head once.

"To say that he wrote the Book of Revelation himself... would mean that he wrote the 'illegal

text' in the Revelation. In other words, it means that he is not a 'real writer'."

I was amazed.

"By the way, if it's a illegal text writer... Is he the one after all?"

"Do you know who it is?

"It must be one of the executives of the Misreading Association. I have fought him before. How

did it go? Are you sure he has stopped breathing?"

"He's probably dead. He was seriously injured."

Killer King nodded his head approvingly.

"I roughly understood the situation. You managed to survive."

"When did you two come here?"

"Half a day outside. Based on this stage, it was two days ago."

Perhaps this stage had a different time scale than the outside.

If it's half a day outside, did it come around the time the 'emergency defense battle' started?

"With the two of you, it wouldn't have been a movie that would have taken two days."

"We also met the Misreading Association."

"The Misreading Association?"

I belatedly realized my mistake.

Why did I think the Misreading Association would only be among the 'latecomers'?

They must have read the exhibition through the illegal text, so the quick-witted ones among them

must have infiltrated the theater dungeon beforehand.

"The number is five in total. As soon as I entered the stage, I met them. Two were rats, and three

were snakes. I killed them all, but the problem was that the snakes bit me as they died."

Saying that, Killer King showed his arm.

There were traces of a snake's teeth on his pale arms, and a purple mark was engraved around the

teeth marks.

"It's a curse."

"Right."

"What curse?"

"The Curse of Disorientation."

It reminded me of a setting I had memorized sometime.

A person with this curse is not only unable to judge the directions of the north, south, east and

west, but also unconsciously takes the path of the wind.

"Fortunately, it's a curse with a statute of limitations, so it seems to be lifted by simply escaping

from this stage."

"I see. So two days... um? Wait a minute."

It's strange when you think about it.

Killer King must have been the only one who was cursed?

"Don't you have a younger sibling? Your younger sister should take the lead."

At my words, Killer King's sister made a startled face.

Killer King looked at her blankly and said.

"Yerin is usually long."

Killer King's younger sister slept on Killer King's side as hard as she could.

Killer King, who frowned slightly, said with a sinister smile.

"Anyway, I have a favor of you."

"Please?"

"Take us to the central research building. Then I'll spare your life."

The Killer King was once again kicked his sister.

*

It was fortunate to meet the Killer King siblings on this stage.

Killer King is a bit strange, but he was a reliable ally on the same side.

"I think we'd better start right away."

"So far, since the curse effect is also bothering me, I think it would be better to move quickly,

even to arrive a minute earlier."

I said while drawing a simple map on the floor.

"I know the location of the research building."

"Jung Heewon hasn't woken up yet."

It was definitely dangerous to carry Jung Heewon on his back. But there wasn't much time given.

"She'll wake up soon. I'm gone and I'll move."

"I don't think there's any ulterior motive. Being tricked by you once is enough."

Come to think of it, the last place I met this brother and sister was inside the Dark Edge.

"You gave us a 'Random Item Box' that had lost its effect at that time."

I answered honestly.

"It was."

"Did you use the box?"

I shook my head.

Of course, I thought he would use [Lie Detection], but I didn't hear the message.

After thinking for a while, Killer King asked.

"Why did you leave the note?"

At the time, I jotted down some useful information in the box I gave them.

If it's Killer King, you've probably got quite a few hidden pieces that are good for that width by

now.

"You really don't know?"

Killer King glared at me for a moment, then turned his head away with a face that seemed to

have hurt his pride.

"No. I think I know."

It seemed to be so.

If Killer King is curious, he is the type to find out on his own. Because he is such a person, he

has read ORV 99.8 times. Ordinarily, I would have read a collection of ORV readings compiled

by others.

"By the way, it's difficult to leave now."

The roar of the earth dragons can be heard intermittently

Killer King continued.

"I don't know what you did, but the monsters are going crazy right now because of you."

I remembered the Misreading Association constellations that hindered me.

The 'Rat-causing plague' exited after being hit by a probabilistic aftermath, but one more

constellation remained.

The snake cutting off its tail.

Perhaps he is the culprit behind this situation.

Judging from the fact that there is no particular setting that comes to mind, it must be a nameless

constellation.

Now that nameless Constellation was a huge obstacle.

"There are two of them. I saw earlier that they are good at catching level 7 earth dragons."

"It was a surprise attack, so it was easy to catch. If we fight head-on, it will take us longer.

And..."

[All paper rolls on the stage are affected by the 'Black Moon' effect.]

Killer King continued his words while glaring at the moon in the sky.

Since that moon rose, the power of the Earth Dragons has been getting stronger.

"If I meet the 7th grade dragon again now, even if I ambushed, it will not be easy."

"Fortunately, that 'black moon' has a fixed duration."

[The 'Black Moon' effect lasts for a total of 8 hours.]

It was clear what Killer King meant.

Even when I thought with common sense, it's right to wait here. After Jung Heewon wakes up,

it'll be safe to move after the effect of the 'Black Moon' is over.

「That way, I won't lose anyone anymore.」

I already lost Jung Jaewoo because of my misjudgment. If I make a mistake here, other readers...

Killer King or Killer King's younger sister may die.

"I still have to go."

I know it's not a realistic judgement. However, it is an impossible world to think realistically.

Because where we are is fiction.

「You have to think of it as novelistic in fiction.」

Guilt can't keep you from doing important things.

Jung Jaewoo is dead.

But he will be a little overseer and will be alive. Maybe other readers will too.

They didn't die.

And if he's not dead, there's a way to bring him back somehow.

I had to believe that now.

This was such a 'story', and I had to think of the next development in such a nonsensical world.

「To prevent the planned destruction and pioneer a new story.」

Will I be able to reach the right ending?

"Yoo Jonghyuk may die."

Killer King paused for a moment before asking again.

"Is it true?"

I nodded.

Killer King did not use [Lie Detection]. Instead he looked at his sister.

"Yerin."

The sister quietly shrugged her shoulders, as if to do whatever he wanted. Killer King's troubles

were not long.

"I'm going to the research building."

*

We made our way through the broad-leaved forest and headed straight to the central research

building.

We often encountered an 8th grade earth dragon raptor, and even more rarely a 7th grade earth

dragon, Tyranno.

It took some time, but we steadily moved forward.

The direction was not wrong. According to my thoughts, the research center was definitely over

here.

Killer King followed me without a word. He sometimes pruned branches in advance to be

considerate of his sister, or warned her to watch her feet.

To be honest. It was a bit incomprehensible to me.

Killer King heard only one word that Yoo Jonghyuk could die, and he was taking the risk with

me.

How could that be?

"I have a question."

I asked Killer King, who broke off the protruding branches.

"Why is the name 'The Seven Apostles'?

At least in ORV, 'apostle' is not used in a very good sense."

In the entire novel, the 'apostles' did not read the revelation to the end, but it was a word

precisely referring to their executives.

Killer King glared at me for a moment as if asking me all that.

I thought I could hear a sound, and then the leaves swayed one by one.

The rain that had stopped for a while started to fall again.

Could it be because of the sound of rain?

"We are."

I didn't immediately understand what he said.

"I haven't read the story to the end yet."

Understanding came a little late.

I didn't even think of it. I thought it was the community name of readers who simply borrowed

the name 'Apostle', but it wasn't.

「The '7 Apostles' was a group of people who believed that the 'omniscient reader's point of view'

was not over yet.」

Since the novel was not over, they were defectors.

"That's why it's an apostle."

Because they are involuntary defectors, they call themselves 'apostles'.

"But the story..."

It's finished.

The moment I was about to say that, something blocked my mouth.

There were countless thoughts running through my head.

The reason I and the readers came to this world now. And an anecdote from the Omniscient

Reader's viewpoint that is being serialized on my cell phone as it pleases.

In an instant, goosebumps went down my forearms.

Perhaps, the reason why this world has no choice but to exist is...

"Why are you asking that all of a sudden? Do you want to become an apostle too?"

Killer King was looking at me and asking.

"Even if I wanted to become it, I couldn't accept it."

"Uh... Why?"

Then Killer King frowned his thick eyebrows and said.

"You act like a guy who knows the end all by himself."

Without realizing it, I burst out laughing.

But Killer King's expression was serious.

"You knew a hidden piece that I didn't know about."

"That...."

"If it's special like now, you'll smile with a strange expression."

"It's just because I have narrow eyes."

Killer King, ignoring my words, concluded his words by looking at my wounded shoulder.

"In addition to being used to pain. Do you have a [fourth wall]?"

I didn't know what to say.

For a moment, such a temptation arose.

Maybe it would be okay to tell him that I am the writer.

But soon I got a thought.

「What's the use of saying that now?」

Now that I am calling myself a writer, I am not responsible for anything about this story.

Maybe my expression was strange, Killer King added with a light smile.

"Don't take it seriously. It's just that I don't like you acting like Kim Dokja."

The building of the central research building could be seen in the distance. We had finally come

close to our destination.

"I thought for a while that it would be nice."

Killer King's expression, saying that, seemed somehow lonely.

I thought for a moment about the other readers in the lobby of the theater. Maybe they're

accepting the truth of the world by now, too.

「There is no Kim Dokja in this world.」

They read Kim Dokja's story, and were curious about Kim Dokja's story, but they were

summoned to this world without Kim Dokja.

Then, for whom does this story exist?

"Get ready soon."

The younger sister of Killer King and Killer King stopped walking.

We all know that the real danger starts now.

Killer King said.

"As you may know, if it was as it should be, the ending conditions should have been met when

we hunted the 7th-level Earth Dragon."

It was as Killer King said.

In the main part of the book, the ending message appeared at the moment of hunting 'Tyranno',

but now it wasn't the case.

"It must mean the ending of this movie is not like that."

Coo coo coo.

Right in front of the road leading to the central research building, something was waiting for.

[The owner of the theater is looking forward to the ending you will make.]

A cry rang low as if scratching the ground. The ground around us began to shake violently.

The expression of Killer King and Killer King's younger sister hardened. Looking at the faces of

the two people with a faint fear spreading, I felt an inexplicable sense of excitement.

Is this how I feel because I am a writer?

There is a guy stronger than 7th grade.

Or is it because I, too, am a first-time reader of this story?

[Grade 6 Earth Dragon Certificate 'Cretaceous owner' roars!]

I thought maybe this theater might have the answer.