The panicked incarnations stretched their hands out toward me. I dodged their hands with quick movements and kicked off the ground. As acceleration began to build, the incarnations one by one started to fall behind me.

“How is he―”

“He’s carrying the kid on his back!”

11th, 10th, 9th, 8th……

My ranking shot up in an instant.

As my speed increased to the point where I was almost upon the leading group, the back of Bicheonhori, who had gone ahead, came into view.

Having climbed into the top ranks with his characteristically nimble legs, he shouted in admiration.

“Heh, that’s a novel method.”

Fortunately, Bicheonhori did not attack me.

“You’re using the tale of the ‘rat’, aren’t you?”

I nodded.

The original “Twelve Zodiac Race” is a story where the “rat” wins.

More precisely, it is the story of the “rat” riding on the back of the diligently running “ox” and winning.

In other words, right now I was playing the role of the “ox” carrying the rat.

[‘Minor Stage-ization’ is in effect!]

「Minor Stage-ization」.

It was hard to expect as much effect as from a normal 「Stage-ization」, but with both skills and stigmas sealed, this was still an excellent level of buff.

Even that fleet-footed Bicheonhori was slowly starting to fall behind me.

“It’s not over yet. Don’t let your guard down.”

Bicheonhori warned me.

“Every incarnation who’s drifted all the way here is a tough bastard.”

Before he had even finished speaking, one of the incarnations in the lead group threw a shuriken at me.

I quickly bent at the waist to dodge the shuriken, then took a big step forward and slammed my foot hard into his back.

“Guhk!”

As the incarnation struck in the back rolled across the ground, the other incarnations in the lead group joined in with murderous looks in their eyes.

“He’s not getting through! Block him!”

It was pointless.

With stigmas and skills sealed, how exactly were they supposed to stop me?

Of course, they did have the option of using “tales”, but in the mere eighth scenario, incarnations who could handle tales were―

“Bind his feet!”

Rarer than I’d thought, apparently.

[Tale Fragment, ‘Farmer Who Ploughs the Field’ begins its story!]

Rumble rumble rumble rumble.

[Tale Fragment, ‘Farmer Who Ploughs the Field’ ruins his harvest!]

As I ran, my feet suddenly began sinking deep into the track, and then the terrain changed, turning lumpy like the furrows of a field.

“Farmer Who Ploughs the Field”, huh.

Did their backer happen to be something like the “Expert of Land Reclamation” or the “Developer of Transplanting Methods”?

But using that tale fragment had been a mistake.

Because right now, I was under the blessing of the “bull”.

[The energy of the charging bull explodes through your body!]
[Constellation, ‘One Who Let the Rat Win’ smiles faintly.]

Farm work is originally done by oxen.

“Damn it, he got even faster!”

“You idiot, of course that happens if you use a fragment like that!”

The flustered incarnations in the lead began blaming each other as they rushed at me.

I brushed their spears and blades aside lightly with Unbreakable Conviction and broke into the lead.

Now there were only two incarnations left in front of me.

One incarnation, who had been running in second place, blew a sharp breath down toward the ground.

[Tale Fragment, ‘Sigh of the Frozen One’ begins its story!]

In the cold wind, I felt the muscles in my legs rapidly stiffen.

[Tale Fragment, ‘Sigh of the Frozen One’ coils around your ankles.]

To think there would already be incarnations in this place who could handle tale fragments to this extent.

I quickly checked the tales I had in my head. But there wasn’t any tale that seemed particularly suited to this situation.

Just then, the kid on my back opened their mouth.

“Keep running.”

[Tale Fragment, ‘Scream of the Scorching Flame’ begins its story!]

I was a little surprised.

「Scream of the Scorching Flame」.

It was a tale fragment I had just read in the Destruction Method.

A fragment that could only be obtained by someone who fought on equal terms with “Red Flame Dragon”, one of the dragon kings.

But rationally speaking, it made no sense. There was no way there could be an incarnation in the mere eighth scenario who had fought against Red Flame Dragon.

Unless they just happened to find a tale fragment lying around somewhere―

[Tale Fragment, ‘Scream of the Scorching Flame’ melts the cold.]

Maybe it was hard for them to handle the tale fragment, because the kid’s face was scrunched up as they shouted.

“There’s no time! Faster! I absolutely have to come in first!”

Now there was only one incarnation left in the lead.

Off in the distance, the finish line was beginning to come into view. Just then, the incarnation running ahead of me right in front of the finish line turned around.

It was an incarnation wearing a tiger mask.

“You’re pretty good.”

Contrary to what Bicheonhori had said, just because this was the “Recycling Center” didn’t mean only weak incarnations gathered here.

[Tale Fragment, ‘One Chosen by the Tiger God’ begins its story.]

If weak animals gather in one place, then of course there will also be predators who come to hunt those weak animals.

The leading incarnation was one of those.

Both of his hands swelled up greatly, then took on the form of a tiger’s forepaws.

Judging from the tale fragment, he might be an incarnation related to the “tiger” among the Twelve Zodiac.

Panting, I asked,

“Do you know the ‘Tiger Who Eats Rice Cakes’?”

At my sudden question, the shoulders of the tiger mask flinched.

I grinned and continued speaking.

“He’s a friend who ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) sponsors me pretty often.”

“Don’t lie! The great constellation of the tiger clan would never sponsor riffraff like you―”

“Tiger Who Eats Rice Cakes! Are you watching?!”

Startled, the bastard looked up at the empty air. Unfortunately, Tiger Who Eats Rice Cakes did not respond.

But it didn’t matter. I just needed an opening to catch up to him.

“You bastard!”

At some point, the incarnation in the tiger mask noticed me running neck and neck with him and thrust his vicious forepaw at me.

Supporting the kid’s butt with one hand, I swung Unbreakable Conviction with the other.

[Tale, ‘Tenacious Martial Arts Master’ begins its story!]

Had my level gone up quite a bit in the meantime? The feeling of a history-grade tale wrapping around my hand was distinctly different.

As Unbreakable Conviction spewed out magic power and unleashed a rough gang qi, the tiger mask widened his eyes.

“That’s not a tale fragment but an actual ‘tale’……?”

The blade wrapped in the power of the tale and the forepaw collided, and shockwaves of magic power erupted again and again.

[Tale, ‘Tenacious Martial Arts Master’ stumbles over its own story.]

Perhaps because it wasn’t a tale I had built up myself, the Ark’s tale didn’t display a fully satisfying destructive power.

It also meant that my tier still wasn’t high enough.

But still, this was only a history-grade tale.

Once again, I fully realized just how far I still had to go.

“Graaaah! I can’t lose! Tiger God! Grant me the tiger’s might!”

As the bastard shouted a strange chant, a bright blue aura surged up from his entire body.

While I was blocking his incoming forepaw, the tiger mask began to pull three or four steps ahead of me.

The distance remaining to the finish line was now about a hundred meters.

Inside the finish line, faintly visible in the distance, the rewards for this scenario were on display.

Kim Dokja’s tale fragment.

[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name’ licks its lips.]

If you want to eat it, then help a little, you punk.

[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name’ snorts as if bothered.]

In that instant, fierce magic power surged up from my right arm.

“Graaah!”

Unable to withstand the shockwave of magic power, the tiger mask rolled across the ground. While he tumbled, I leaped over him and sprinted with all my strength.

It would be nice if I could just take first place like this, but unfortunately, since I had taken on the role of the “ox”, that was impossible.

If I stole first place here, I would probably be swept up in the plausibility backlash of Minor Stage-ization.

“Kid. Go.”

As if asking if I was really okay with this, the kid grabbed my shoulders tightly.

“It’s fine. The reward I want is the one for second place anyway.”

“You really are a strange bastard.”

“When someone says that, you’re supposed to reply, ‘Thank you very much’.”

The kid kicked off my shoulders and crossed the finish line.

“I owe you.”

Behind his back as he soared up into the air, a very thin, faint voice was left hanging.

I couldn’t help but let out a wry laugh.

To be honest, even that was a tremendous improvement.

If that kid really was the “guy” I was thinking of.

[The Sub Scenario has ended!]
[You have successfully completed the ‘Twelve Zodiac Race’.]
[You have finished the ‘Twelve Zodiac Race’ in ‘2nd place’.]
[Tale Fragment, ‘Right Arm of the Swordmaster Who Was Backstabbed by a Comrade’ acquired.]
[Constellation, ‘One Who Let the Rat Win’ is satisfied with your reproduction of the tale.]
[Constellation, ‘One Who Let the Rat Win’ sponsors you with 1,000 coins.]
[You have acquired access rights to the ‘Recycling Center’.]

After that, the incarnations crossed the finish line one by one.

“I-I survived! Damn it!”

“Backer-nim! I passed!”

“No! No! Aaaahhhh!”

A sinkhole opened up in the track and the incarnation who had come in last plunged down.

The one eliminated, unfortunately, was the tiger-clan incarnation I had traded blows with until the very end. Judging from the impact of our last clash, it seemed he had suffered quite severe internal injuries.

I immediately checked the reward I had obtained.

「‘Right Arm of the Swordmaster Who Was Backstabbed by a Comrade’」

The tale fragment Kim Dokja had obtained at the Horizon of Scenarios, and the tale fragment the Demon King of Salvation had used when he saved me.

The moment I activated the fragment, along with the feeling of strength flowing into my right arm, a familiar voice echoed.

「Well done, youngest.」

I had no way of knowing if it was truly something he had left behind, or if it was just something that happened to cling to this tale fragment by coincidence.

But the moment I heard that voice, I firmly reminded myself once more of what I had to do.

[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name’ nods.]
[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name’ declares that it will eat now.]

What?

[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name’ devours the Tale Fragment, ‘Right Arm of the Swordmaster Who Was Backstabbed by a Comrade’!]
[Time limit extended by 15 days.]
[The tier of the Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name’ rises slightly.]
[Your understanding of the Tale Fragment, ‘Right Arm of the Swordmaster Who Was Backstabbed by a Comrade’ increases greatly!]

The tale it devoured did not disappear. On the contrary, my understanding of the tale had increased.

[Tale, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name’ looks at you as if you’re pathetic.]

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

「Successor of the Eternal Name」 is a tale that exists to complete “the one and only Kim Dokja”.

There was no way it could not use the power Kim Dokja once possessed.

“You really are fast. I’m impressed.”

Bicheonhori, who had come in third, dusted off the hems of his pants as he spoke.

The reward for third place was “Shoes of Greed”.

Compared to first and second place, it was a somewhat inferior item, but he seemed satisfied enough.

“By any chance, do you have companions? If you don’t mind, I think it would be good to travel together inside the Center.”

Bicheonhori was the only incarnation who had not attacked me. There was no harm in traveling together with him. However―

“I do have companions.”

I looked at the pitch-black little brat standing a few steps away, clutching the first-place reward in his hands.

Bicheonhori asked in a slightly surprised voice,

“You were with that kid?”

“Strictly speaking, he’s about to become my companion.”

Leaving Bicheonhori behind, tilting his head as if to ask what that meant, I walked straight up to the pitch-black little brat.

The kid was clutching the first-place reward, “Battle Boots of the Noble”, tightly with both hands as he muttered,

“I finally found them……”

I wondered if my eyes had looked like that when I obtained the Demon King of Salvation’s tale fragment.

Anyone could see it: the eyes of a child who had regained something precious.

“Are they important to you?”

The brat didn’t answer. Of course, it wasn’t a question I expected an answer to.

Because I already knew what those boots meant to him.

I recalled the lonely footprints stamped on the distant snowy plain.

「“Captain, but why don’t your feet smell?”」

Round 5.

「“Master, can I put a sticker here?”」

Round 98.

「“Would you consider trading those boots for my combat boots?”」

Round 186.

No matter which round he lived through, he was always wearing those battle boots.

As the rounds changed, the stickers Lee Jihye had stuck on them, and even the traces of Lee Hyunsung’s blood, all disappeared, but still he continued to wear those boots.

He wore those boots and walked the same road, over and over again.

“Now, why don’t you come clean.”

At my question, the pitch-black little brat looked up at me.

“What on earth happened to you for you to end up like that.”

I had suspected something from the moment I first saw him. That suspicion had turned into certainty the moment I saw the Red Flame Dragon tale fragment he possessed.

There was no way an incarnation in this world line could already have met Red Flame Dragon.

Except for one single person.

“Yu Joonghyuk.”

If it was Yu Joonghyuk of the 41st round, it wouldn’t be strange for him to have that tale fragment. He would already have experience from the 40th round of facing Red Flame Dragon.

In any case, running into Yu Joonghyuk again here was a fortunate development.

The eighth scenario was the “Recycling Center” even Kim Dokja had been reluctant to face.

He had been unconscious when we fought the constellations, so he hadn’t been any help at all, but as long as Yu Joonghyuk stayed sane, no matter what scenario came for a while, we had nothing to fear.

“I was starting to think you might finally pull your weight a little, so why did you end up like this?”

The problem was that puny body that had clearly become weak.

Who would ever think that scrawny frame belonged to “Yu Joonghyuk”?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Get out of my way.”

Was he trying to hide his identity, maybe?

But something felt off to just accept that and move on.

In <Star Stream>, fame becomes tale. Yu Joonghyuk knew that better than anyone. There was no reason for him to deliberately choose a “secretly strong” concept.

“Yu Joonghyuk?”

A bad premonition flashed through my mind as the backer constellation’s words surfaced.

「‘Truth’s Constraint’ is a power you can use by paying with a portion of your past memories.」

No way.

I looked down at the kid Yu Joonghyuk. Then the kid Yu Joonghyuk looked up at me.

Staring at me for a long time with that characteristic gaze, the kid Yu Joonghyuk screwed up his face and asked,

“Who the hell is Yu Joonghyuk supposed to be.”

For a moment, all sorts of thoughts surged and then quieted down inside my head.

Looking into the kid Yu Joonghyuk’s clear eyes, which showed not even a speck of falsehood, I slowly opened my mouth.

“Yu Joonghyuk is……”

The last thing I recalled was Yu Joonghyuk of the 1,863rd round.

The Yu Joonghyuk I liked the most.

I gave the kid Yu Joonghyuk a benevolent smile.

“He’s a friend who really loves soil.”

At last, the chance had come to change the 41st round.