After the hunt for the earth dragon species ended, the survivors at Gwanghwamun began making preparations.

There were quite a few people who had been injured or killed during the scenario. If this had been an early scenario, some would naturally have fallen into panic, but people were calmer than expected. As if they’d already grown used to such tragedies.

“Okay, everyone who’s hurt, over here!”

“We’ve still got some Essence of the Elain Forest left, so bring the severe cases here!”

“We’re going to start dismantling the Rank-5 monster dragon species, so anyone with stamina to spare, please help!”

Under the direct command of the Thug King Bang Cheolsu, people split up in perfect order, each finding a role.

It didn’t seem like they were simply moved by Bang Cheolsu’s leadership. Many of the people remaining here weren’t even from the Geumho Station group.

The incarnations were being ruled by the shadow of one person who wasn’t here.

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

This scene was something Yu Joonghyuk had built over the past 45 days.

A regressor who valued efficiency.

One who thought survival over death, and that rather than wallow in sorrow, it was better to swing the sword once.

I suddenly grew curious.

Just what ending was Yu Joonghyuk of the 41st regression dreaming of?

Come to think of it, I had never once asked.

What scenery he wished to behold at the end of this world.

“Boss! Are you all right?”

Bang Cheolsu, who was approaching at just the right time, spoke to me.

“I’m fine. You?”

“This much is nothing.”

Contrary to his answer, Bang Cheolsu’s injuries were by no means light.

A long stab wound ran from his neck down to his chest. On top of that, his thighs and arms were wrapped in thick bandages.

Even so, Bang Cheolsu’s two eyes were stout and honest.

―Impressive. By the seventh scenario you’ve already picked up [Recovery Acceleration] and [Burning Fighting Spirit].

It seemed Kim Dokja had used [Character List] to check Bang Cheolsu’s condition in the meantime.

―He’ll serve as a decent tank when Lee Hyunsung isn’t around. I’ll have to redraw the 41st-regression power-balance chart.

‘When did you make something like that again.’

“Is it really okay for the group to split the Rank-5 monster dragon species parts?”

“Do it that way.”

“Thank you so much, boss!”

I readily handed over the Rank-5 monster dragon species ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) parts to the Geumho Station group.

I could have kept them if I wanted to, but as a human being, that didn’t feel right.

―You know early Rank-5 monster parts sell for a nice price, right?

‘I know. But they’re the people who stayed behind to protect me. Besides, we’ve still got the Rank-4 earth dragon species parts.’

―Of course Rank-4 is much more valuable.

‘We need to think long-term; we might need their help again. Bang Cheolsu and the Mother–Daughter Duo both have high growth potential. If we outfit them with new gear from a Rank-5 monster dragon species, they’ll get pretty strong.’

―Never thought there’d be a run where we take the Bang Cheolsu tech tree… Still, it’s not a bad choice right now.

Luckily, Kim Dokja seemed to agree with my thinking.

‘Should we put the Rank-4 earth dragon species parts on the Marketplace?’

―Leave that to me.

With those words, a message floated in the air.

[Your backer requests a private audience with the dokkaebi ‘Bihyung’.]
[The dokkaebi ‘Bihyung’ consents.]

It seemed Kim Dokja had started negotiating with a dokkaebi to handle the earth dragon species parts.

If nothing else, I trusted my backer when it came to deals.

Kim Dokja was the human who’d wrung a ten-to-zero contract out of that very Bihyung.

He’d even sold fire dragon species parts back in his prime, so he’d know the Marketplace system far better than I did.

Kim Dokja came back sooner than expected.

―Talk’s done. As it happens, there are folks in the U.S. who want Rank-4 earth dragon species parts. I negotiated with Bihyung to hand them over in an exclusive deal.

The U.S., huh.

A few faces came to mind.

―Yeah. The ones you’re thinking of. More than that, since it’s a specimen with a remaining evolution record, it’ll sell for more than you think. You’ll easily clear three hundred thousand coins.

300,000 coins.

Considering the scenarios to come, it was a sum that would be a great help.

I suddenly felt glad I had taken Kim Dokja as my backer.

‘How do we handle storage? Should I dismantle it myself and put it on the Marketplace?’

―No, they said they’ll come in person today to appraise and dismantle it. Just have the guys roughly cover it for now.

They’re coming? To pick this up themselves?

―It’s an expensive item. Have you checked the scenario rewards?

‘Ah, yes.’

As the main contributors of this scenario, Jeong Heewon and I received special rewards.

The reward was a ‘Lesser Dragon Heart.’

―Perfect timing. All you had were those half-baked internal-energy traits anyway.

‘My [Circulatory Delay] is a pretty decent trait….’

―Decent, my foot. Even if you forced a Great Awakening on that trait, you’d barely reach the Open Ark level.

‘Hey, the Thousand… is still a great-personage-class constellation.’

―Then you should’ve made a backer contract with that one.

‘Should we use the Dragon Heart now?’

―You could use it right away, but I don’t recommend it. Even a Lesser Dragon Heart is harder to obtain than a Great Rejuvenation Pill. It’s best to absorb it with an expert’s help.

An expert…

A ‘Dragon Heart’ was, literally, a dragon’s heart. You could see it as a kind of spirit-beast inner core.

And when it came to absorbing a spirit-beast inner core, there were bound to be plenty who were well-versed in the ‘Martial World.’

‘Should we ask that one for help?’

―They’re busy these days. Thanks to you, they took a massive hit in tales and coins and are probably out of their mind paying off debts.

No wonder they hadn’t been showing up on the channel lately.

‘Then we’ll go to the Martial World…’

―The ‘Martial World’ is a 20s Scenario region. It’d be a waste to wait that long; we should solve it here.

‘Here? Is there an elixir expert in Korea?’

―There isn’t in Korea, but there’s someone you’ll meet soon…

It seemed something crossed the wires—Kim Dokja’s words cut off. It felt like he was talking to someone else besides me.

Bihyung? I didn’t know.

I told Bang Cheolsu to store the Rank-4 earth dragon species parts, then moved to the infirmary to check Jeong Heewon’s injuries. Fortunately, they were at a level that could be treated with the ‘Essence of the Elain Forest.’

[Character ‘Jeong Heewon’ is relying on you.]
[The target’s current ‘Madness’ is in a quiescent state.]

In the end, Jeong Heewon had become the ‘Ghostslaughter.’

Even the death of Grandmaster Jeong Munho couldn’t change this development.

Only, the Jeong Heewon of this regression was oddly misaligned with the settings of the ‘Ghostslaughter’ I knew.

Originally, the ‘Ghostslaughter’ was a character obsessed with lost family.

But this Jeong Heewon…

“Ugh…”

Was she having a nightmare?

I wiped the beaded sweat from Jeong Heewon’s brow.

I was weighing whether to give her one more ‘Essence of the Elain Forest’ when a message popped up before my eyes.

[An ‘exclusive deal’ through the ‘Marketplace’ has been concluded.]
[You have received an advance payment of 150,000 coins.]

A sudden shower of coins.

Then a voice followed through a message.

―Hey, who the hell did you make a contract with?

Dokkaebi communication. It was Bihyung’s voice, which I hadn’t heard in a while.

―How could you be dealing with a goddamn piece-of— …sir… Constellation, sir. Hehe. That’s not it. The deal went just as you said… Ah, no. Please, anything but reporting that to the higher-ups…

The dokkaebi call cut off as-is.

What kind of threats was he even under?

―Did the deposit arrive?

‘Yes.’

I wanted to ask what on earth he had been up to, but I held it back. There was something more important to handle first.

―Then the scenario rewards are settled. Now let’s take care of ‘that.’

‘Right now?’

―Yeah.

I glanced around.

It was a single-person room, so aside from the unconscious Jeong Heewon and me, there was no one else.

‘Understood.’

With a light sigh, I took out the ‘Kim Dokja fragment’ from my breast.

It was that very same doll we had obtained after we routed the earth dragon species a moment ago.

[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name,’ gazes fixedly at the ‘Kim Dokja fragment’.]

I could tell without anyone saying it.

This ‘doll’ could be absorbed the same way I had absorbed the fragment earlier.

―Hurry up. It’s not your first time. You’ve already gathered six fragments.

‘Me?’

I tried to remember when I’d gathered so many fragments.

[Vanishing collected so far: 6]

Flinch—some scenes surfaced in my mind.

When I saved Mole Cricket Max at Chungmuro Station.

When I changed the fates of Bang Cheolsu and the people of Geumho Station.

When I met Shin Yuseung of the 41st regression.

When I clashed with the Open Ark at Seoul Station.

When I turned Uncle Dansoo into the ‘King of Nonkilling’…

Vanishing.

I was sure I’d heard the message that ‘Vanishing’ had been recorded then.

Don’t tell me all of those…

―Did you remember?

‘Were those all your fragments?’

―Strictly speaking, our fragments.

Only then did it feel like my thoughts were falling into place one by one.

―It’s not only fragments absorbed by monsters. Some fragments dwell between tales. They’re asleep inside the story you want to read.

A story you want to read.

Unconsciously, my hand gripping the doll tightened.

―Didn’t anything change each time you gathered a fragment? Like your stats going up.

‘My Agitation skill did get stronger.’

My [Agitation] skill had gained proficiency at a truly abnormal rate.

It had already surpassed Level 10.

Besides that, there had indeed been changes each time I gathered a Vanishing.

When I obtained [Sentence Enhancement], when [Omniscient Reader] suddenly activated.

―Of course. The more fragments you gather, the closer you get to a complete ‘Kim Dokja.’

A complete Kim Dokja.

If so, then if I gathered all the fragments like this, could the ‘Kim Dokja’ I remembered come back?

―Absorb first. If we keep dragging time, those guys will come again.

Those guys.

Come to think of it, Kim Dokja had said it.

That there were ones who killed ‘me.’

If you think about it, it’s a baffling thing to say.

The ‘Oldest Dream’ is all but identical to the <Star Stream> itself.

Who on earth could kill Kim Dokja in that state?

‘Is there some connection between that black hand and your current condition?’

―Probably. I don’t know for sure; my memories aren’t clear.

With those words, I felt Kim Dokja’s gaze quietly rest on the doll.

―If you absorb that, maybe it’ll come back to you.

I bit my lip and looked down at the Kim Dokja doll.

Normally, I wouldn’t have hesitated this much. It was a fragment; I had already absorbed one just before.

The problem was the ‘fragment’s’ form.

A doll that anyone could see resembled ‘little Kim Dokja.’

I hesitated, then slowly reached my hand toward the doll. Then a tale began to flow from the doll.

「“Nice to meet you, Kim Gyeongsik. Do you remember the message I sent before?”」

A voice I was already very familiar with.

「“Ah, I speak like an old man here because I’m an old man.”」

Startled, I quickly drew my hand away from the doll and spoke.

“Wait, this is—”

No doubt about it. Though damaged in places, this ‘Kim Dokja doll’ was someone I knew.

Smoke Man Kim Gyeongsik.

The long-pipe old man I’d met in the Theater Dungeon. A reader who had completely read the novel six times and spoke in a peculiar manner.

I knew he had gone missing at the palace museum, but I hadn’t imagined he’d end up like this.

If I recover the fragment here and now, what will happen to this person?

―Hakhyun.

I saw a light spark in the air. There were signs of a crack opening again.

―If we wait any longer, those guys will come again. If we lose it this time, it’ll really be irreversible.

‘But—’

If I absorb Kim Gyeongsik right now, what happens to Kim Gyeongsik?

―You want to save that friend, don’t you?

‘Is there a way?’

―Maybe. It won’t be easy right away… but first you have to collect the soul. If you want to bring him back, that’s the only way.

My feelings were complicated, but for now I had no choice but to believe Kim Dokja. If I delayed further, those black-hand bastards would steal the soul again.

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

As when I had absorbed a fragment before, the tale moved. Only, unlike the last time when it had greedily devoured the tale fragments, this time it felt like it was gently wrapping the doll, as if swallowing a fragile cookie.

At the last moment, the doll quietly opened its eyes and looked at me.

「“At last.”」

With that voice, the fragment seeped into me.

[You have obtained a new ‘Vanishing’!]
[Tale fragment, ‘Kim Gyeongsik,’ has been recorded.]
[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name,’ has succeeded in its predation.]
[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name,’ rises in grade by a minute amount.]
[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name,’ is satisfied.]
[Twenty days have been added to your time limit.]

Twenty days. I had gained a lifespan far longer than when I absorbed a small fragment.

And that wasn’t all.

[The exclusive skill of the tale fragment ‘Kim Gyeongsik’ is transferred to you.]

Unlike when I simply absorbed a ‘fragment,’ this time there was a concrete reward.

[You have acquired the skill, ‘Smoke Man’.]

Kim Gyeongsik’s skill, [Smoke Man].

As long as I had the long pipe item, I could at any time turn into gas and escape danger—an evasion skill.

That was when someone’s voice came from behind me.

“What… what did you just do?”

Since when?

Beyond the wide-open infirmary door, someone was standing there.