Vast magic power poured out through my right hand, and a bright light turned above my head.

With the loss of strength came a rush of dizziness.

From the sky, I could feel the stars’ gazes.

The severed head of the Rank-5 monster dragon species stared up at me in disbelief.

[You have slain the Rank-5 monster dragon species, ‘Variant Imoogi Brachy’!]

……

[Constellation, ‘Maritime War Deity,’ is startled by your martial feat.]
[Constellation, ‘Greatest Sword of Goryeo,’ sends praise for your courage.]
[Constellation, ‘Bald Militia Commander,’ gives a thumbs-up, saying you’re truly a descendant of the Korean Peninsula.]
[Constellation, ‘Prisoner of Gingoa,’ takes interest in your way of fighting.]

……

[A portion of the constellations take interest in the ‘Demon King of Salvation’s’ proposal.]
[You have received a total of 5,000 coins!]

In the distance I could see Bang Cheolsu and the people of Geumho Station cheering this way.

[30 seconds remain until death.]

It suddenly occurred to me that dying like this wouldn’t be so bad.

[Synchronization with your backer increases.]
[The possibility of a new Tale germinates.]

―Kid.

‘Yes.’

―You don’t actually want to die, right?

‘There are 20 seconds left now.’

Is there a way to survive right this instant?

Honestly, I wasn’t sure.

Should I feed myself to the ‘Successor of the Eternal Name’ one more time?

Would that method work again?

[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name,’ refuses to feed on you.]

As expected, no.

Then I had no method.

All I could do now was trust Kim Dokja.

―Let’s see. It should’ve fallen nearby… Oh, there! The head!

‘The head?’

―The severed head! Hurry!

Looking closely, I saw items spilling out between the monster dragon’s fallen head.

One was a ‘Core of a Rank-5 Monster Dragon ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Species,’ and the other was…

“This is…”

Startled, I picked up the item lying on the ground.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t an ‘item.’ It was a fragment that looked like cruder clumps of very tiny letters.

[You have obtained the Tale fragment, ‘A Reader Has a Reader’s Life.’]

Why on earth would a monster dragon species have this?

―Phew, so it was here after all.

No, why would this—

―Just feed it already. If you dawdle, you really will croak.

‘Feed it this?’

―It’s a ‘Kim Dokja fragment’ too.

Just from the name, it was certainly a Kim Dokja fragment.

[5 seconds remain until death.]

Now I truly had no time.

[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name,’ shows interest in the Tale fragment you obtained!]

‘Wanna eat?’

[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name,’ opens its mouth greedily.]

Right after, there was a sound like gnawing on dry meat, and smoke fizzed up from my hand.

[The time limit has fully elapsed.]

Did it work?

Can I keep living?

As if answering my question, a sequence of sentences flowed through my head.

「“It’s all right, Ms. Yoo Sanga.”
“Yes?”
“Even if you told me about that app, it wouldn’t help.”
That my life’s genre now was plainly ‘Realism.’
“Because a reader has a reader’s life.”
And in this genre, I wasn’t the protagonist but a ‘reader.’」

So this scene must be the Tale fragment ‘A Reader Has a Reader’s Life.’

Before long, I heard the Tale finish feeding with a light burp.

[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name,’ has succeeded in predation.]
[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name,’ rises in rank ever so slightly.]
[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name,’ is slightly satisfied.]
[An additional 1 day has been added to the time limit.]

One day!

My lifespan had increased by a whole day.

―See? I told you you wouldn’t die here.

Dumbfounded, I stared up at the air.

How had Kim Dokja known this monster dragon species carried a ‘Kim Dokja fragment’?

‘Does this monster dragon appear in Annihilation Method too?’

―It does, but not like this. No matter what incident exists within ‘Annihilation Method,’ this monster shouldn’t be here.

The monster dragon species before my eyes was a ‘monster dragon species that shouldn’t be here right now.’

―But in this ‘41st round,’ there’s one incident that doesn’t appear in any round of ‘Annihilation Method.’

I understood Kim Dokja’s words at once.

In this world, there was only one incident unrelated to ‘Annihilation Method.’

Me, and the existence of the other readers who had read Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.

Looking down at the dead monster dragon’s head, I muttered,

“No way…”

Maybe this ‘monster dragon species’ had devoured a ‘reader’ I didn’t know. If, through the fragment gained that way, it had evolved beyond its inherent rank—

If that was the case, just how many reader fragments existed in this world? And in that process, how many readers…

―All right, let’s not overthink it. Maybe it just picked something up off the street by chance and ate it.

‘There’s no way something like that would just be lying on the street.’

―Well, what’s certain is—

Far off, I could see the ‘Rank-4 earth dragon species’ locked in a death match with Jeong Heewon.

―That one over there is carrying a ‘bigger fragment.’

‘Are you sure?’

―I’m sure. I can sense it now.

A bigger fragment.

Meaning, if I took that thing down, I could gain more lifespan.

[Rank-4 earth dragon species, ‘Earth Python,’ activates ‘Annihilation Stomp’!]

The whole area shook violently, and a massive seismic wave spread out from its foot. Through the cracked ground’s fissures, bright-red lava overflowed.

Using [Leap], I sprang into the air, and through the haze of dust and steam I could see Jeong Heewon and the Rank-4 earth dragon species locked in a blood battle at a glance.

Jeong Heewon had wounds on her thigh and shoulder.

But the earth dragon species had both wings cut off and a severe wound on one ankle, making it look hard-pressed to move.

As if to settle the fight, fierce magic power writhed along the edge of Heewon’s blade.

Aether Blade.

A blade of pure magic, hammered into being through relentless training, elongated; in the next instant, Heewon’s figure vanished.

[Incarnation ‘Jeong Heewon’ activates ‘Swordsmanship Lv.10’!]

Appearing from the sky, Heewon traced a horizontal arc straight for the creature’s throat.

Even if it was a Rank-4, with those injuries it couldn’t avoid that blow.

It was unmistakably Heewon’s victory.

Except—

―As I thought, it’s not an ordinary Rank-4.

With a soft sss, the Rank-4 earth dragon species’ figure dissolved like smoke.

Heewon’s startled expression.

Before I could warn her, the earth dragon species had taken her rear and slammed her with its massive tail.

With a thud, Heewon’s body plummeted to the ground.

The clever earth dragon species had held back one last move until the final moment.

“Heewon!”

Repeating [Leap] with everything I had, I caught Heewon as she fell. Dark red blood kept oozing from her mouth.

“Heewon! Stay with me!”

Her body was still overflowing with the auras of [Hour of Judgment] and [Madness], as if her fighting spirit hadn’t faded.

But just feeling her pulse told me enough.

Heewon was no longer in any condition to fight.

I looked back toward the rear line where things were more or less under control.

Luckily, this scenario had no penalty for running.

We had to flee now.

While the Rank-4 earth dragon species had difficulty moving, we had to get as far away as possible—

―No. We’re killing that thing.

It was Kim Dokja who spoke.

―Who knows when we’ll meet another with a fragment. This is the only chance.

I knew it too. That this was the chance.

But could I do it?

Could I kill the thing that even Jeong Heewon couldn’t defeat?

―We’ve got a shot. 「Stagification」 isn’t over yet.

As the haze of dust lifted, the keen eyes of the Rank-4 earth dragon species came into view.

Kim Dokja was right.

That faint fear reflected in its pupils.

Right now, it was afraid of me.

[Constellation, ‘Maritime War Deity,’ watches your courage.]

―Fight ready to die, kid. If you want to become the real ‘Kim Dokja’ you desire.

Just then, I saw Bang Cheolsu and Da-young’s mother running up from the back.

“Hyung! Heewon!”

I looked toward Da-young’s mother rather than Bang Cheolsu, who was carrying Shin Yuseung.

“Please take Heewon.”

Without hesitation, Da-young’s mother threw Heewon over her back.

Seemingly still conscious, Heewon glared with wide-open eyes and moved her lips toward me.

I gave her a light smile, then said to the group,

“From now on, leave Gwanghwamun with everything you’ve got.”

“Hyung! Come with us—”

“Bang Cheolsu. I can figure out how to get just my one body out. Protect the people who believe in you first.”

Eyes reddening, Bang Cheolsu finally lowered his head. He knew there was no other way.

“Retreat! Everyone retreat!”

Once Bang Cheolsu and Da-young’s mother had run off some distance, I turned back to the earth dragon species.

It, too, seemed to have finished its preparations for the decisive battle, growling as it looked this way.

[The time limit for 「Stagification」 is imminent.]
[The power of 「Stagification」 weakens.]

Troublesome.

We couldn’t end the stage already.

“I am—”

As I readied [Agitation] again, Kim Dokja spoke.

―Reproducing the same scene in succession is less effective. You know that, right?

I knew. A stage once reproduced through 「Stagification」 wouldn’t strike the same level of impact on the stars again.

[A very small number of constellations ask if you’re showing the same Tale again.]

In other words, this time, just borrowing the power of ‘Kim Dokja who hunted Yamata no Orochi’ wouldn’t be enough to confront it.

‘I understand.’

But it didn’t matter.

Because—

「This time, the one I will reproduce isn’t ‘Kim Dokja.’」

Even if it’s the ‘same Tale,’ if the Tale’s protagonist is a different person, that makes it a ‘different story.’

The person I would reproduce now—

“I am.”

In a sense, a protagonist who surpasses even that ‘Kim Dokja.’

“‘Yu Joonghyuk’ who slew the ‘Eight-Headed Lord’ in ‘Peace Land.’”

Pages turned in my head, and the image of Yu Joonghyuk fighting Yamata no Orochi surfaced vivid and clear.

[Tale fragment, ‘Mad Soldier Yu Joonghyuk,’ writhes.]

In response, an unidentified Yu Joonghyuk Tale I had no idea when I’d obtained stirred within me.

[Tale, ‘The One Who Hunted the King of Disaster,’ resonates with the Tale fragment, ‘Mad Soldier Yu Joonghyuk.’]

I felt like I could do it.

It wasn’t the Yu Joonghyuk who poured out the secret arts of [Heaven-Sundering Swordsmanship], but if it was Yu Joonghyuk in that instant facing Orochi—

Goooooo!

Over the clear-burning trajectory of [Protective Gang Qi], an aura imbued with the Tale’s power—[Heaven-Sundering Gang Qi]—settled.

Startled by the domineering momentum, the earth dragon species faltered and backed away.

As it spewed its breath in a desperate frenzy, I cleaved them one after another and vaulted through the air. A magic wave imitating Yu Joonghyuk’s [Giantification] swelled around ‘Unbreakable Conviction.’

It wasn’t easy. Even at full power, reaching that Yu Joonghyuk felt hopelessly far.

―I!

‘I am.’

At least now, I wasn’t shouting those words alone.

―am Yu Joonghyuk!

‘I am Yu Joonghyuk.’

[Synchronization with your backer increases!]
[The Tale’s reproduction rate rises ever so slightly!]

The earth dragon species’ yellow pupils stretched vertically long.

It was truly aghast. Overwhelmed by the Conqueror’s Tale, it started to believe the scene before its eyes more than the damage it would actually receive.

When its throat drew within arm’s reach, the frightened creature’s figure scattered in the air.

The technique it had used on Heewon, the [Mist-Form] ability.

―Got you, you bastard.

[The special option of ‘Unbreakable Conviction’ activates.]

The weakness of Mist-Form was ‘attribute attacks.’

[The Aether attribute converts to ‘Flame’.]

Holding my breath using [Conch Breathing], I spun like a top and swung my flaming blade. The particles touched by the blaze suffered a catastrophic hit and began to melt.

Kyaaaaaaah!

Regaining its form, the earth dragon species crashed to the ground with its body half-burned.

At the same time, I gagged and retched everything up.

This was the price for enduring the backer’s Tale too long, on top of layered [Agitation].

[「Stagification」 ends.]

When the stage ends, the actor exits.

[Tale, ‘The One Who Hunted the King of Disaster,’ finishes its story.]

Propping myself on the ground, I barely lifted my head. I saw the earth dragon species, which had been slumped, rise to its feet again.

Is this as far as I go?

It could no longer use [Mist-Form], but it was still intact.

The surrounding air felt thinned. It was preparing its final [Breath].

[Tale fragment, ‘Mad Soldier Yu Joonghyuk,’ looks at you with contempt.]

Yu Joonghyuk’s disdain pulled me to my feet.

I wouldn’t fall. I could not die here.

I had to protect the people.

Jeong Heewon, Jeong Eunho, Sergeant Kim, and the ones who had saved me—I had to buy them time to escape.

[Synchronization with your backer increases!]

And at that moment—

―Well done, kid.

A warm current began to turn from deep in my chest.

[Synchronization with your backer has reached a certain level.]
[You have acquired a new ‘stigma’.]

The backer’s power spread through my whole body.

[Stigma, ‘Will to Sacrifice Lv.1,’ activates!]

At last, Kim Dokja’s first stigma blossomed.