「From the universe’s point of view, every ‘fortuitous encounter’ is Plausibility.」
―Dokkaebi King

*

I’m not sure if I’ve ever told this story about that writer.

「“You must put in fortuitous encounters no matter what. The more the better. Just pile them onto the protagonist.”」

He was the lecturer at the first webnovel class I ever attended. Because he emphasized “fortuitous encounter piling” every single class, the students ended up just shortening his nickname to ‘Fortuitous Encounter’.

Since he was older than me, I called him ‘Big Bro Fortuitous’. He’d go around singing “fortuitous, fortuitous” like a song, and then one day he just vanished from the industry.

Some people said he’d started publishing again under a different pen name, while others said he’d left the field altogether. There were even people who whispered that he’d reincarnated into another world and sarcastically joked that he must have encountered fortuitous opportunities over there.

But in truth, there wasn’t a single person who actually knew what had happened to Big Bro Fortuitous.

The thing is, I do have a bit to say about his disappearance. Two years before he vanished, Big Bro Fortuitous contacted me.

―Hakhyun. Want to try working on something together?

The call came right when my next work had bombed miserably. I was glad to hear from him, but at the same time I felt uncomfortable.

―Hyung, our styles are too different.

Co-writing a project, huh.

No writer in their right mind would do something like that. Writers with big egos don’t mesh well on “collabs” in the first place, and more often than not, having two people write together actually makes things worse.

And it’s not like the pay structure is any better for collaboration either.

―Honestly, I’m not confident I’ll do well. I’ll just hold you back.

―No. I need your help. Can’t you just try working with me once?

Maybe it was because his voice over the phone sounded so desperate. Or maybe it was because that month’s maintenance fee popped into my head.

Even though I knew I shouldn’t, I couldn’t resist the temptation.

―I really don’t feel confident about this… So how would we split the work?

―I’ll write the first draft. Then you look it over. Even if it bombs, I’m the one who tanks, so don’t worry.

―But you’re going to shove ten fortuitous encounters on the protagonist right from the start again, aren’t you?

―Hey. I’ve changed now. I don’t pile fortuitous encounters on the protagonist anymore.

Big Bro Fortuitous not using fortuitous encounters?

I thought he was joking, but my curiosity was piqued.

―What genre is it?

―Modern fantasy, and I’m going to arrange martial arts and a system into it in a balanced way. Honestly, I haven’t fleshed out the worldbuilding yet. You’re good at that stuff, so I was hoping you’d help.

―You’re not asking me to do all of it, are you?

―It’s a collab. We’ll build it together, but you lay the foundation. How about it?

―All right.

―Good, I’m counting on you. Maybe it’s because my sense is getting old, but I can’t come up with trendy settings very well anymore. I’ll split the profits with you at a decent ratio.

The more I listened, the more tempting the offer sounded. I also happened to have some ideas floating around.

―Do you at least have a rough plot?

―Hm, we don’t have a world yet. Let’s just say towers suddenly appear in the world…

―Tower-climbing stories are already passé.

―That’s true, but wouldn’t it be fine if we made the protagonist a bit unusual?

―What kind of ability are you going to give him.

―Let’s not give him any ability.

No ability at all?

―He grows stronger through hard training, with no ability whatsoever. Isn’t it about time the classic hard-working protagonist made a comeback.

These days, there are lots of protagonists like that, but back then they weren’t so common.

―What about having him just practice stabbing over and over.

Maybe that was why.

Back then, I found Big Bro Fortuitous’s idea very interesting.

―Well, sure.

Sometimes when I think back to those days, I get this feeling.

Maybe every story in this world is connected.

Maybe we’re simply not aware of it, and every author is contributing to some ‘great single work’ in ways we could never imagine.

―Mm, then the title will be…

The moment I heard Big Bro Fortuitous’s voice, a certain title came to me like fate. I felt like nothing but that title would suit this story.

―The World After the Fall. How about that.

Years passed after that day.

The World After the Fall, which we wrote together, went through many ups and downs before ending with modest results, and even so, unable to withstand the hardship of daily life, Big Bro Fortuitous disappeared somewhere.

I don’t know where he went. I only knew, from the occasional royalty deposits, that someone out there was still reading the work we’d written.

“Kim Dokja.”

I ate with that royalty. I paid my utilities and my rent with it.

I was able to continue my life as a writer.

The reason a parody of The World After the Fall appears in Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint was because of that.

It was a courtesy to Big Bro Fortuitous, my ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) co-author. Or perhaps a wish that, somewhere in this world, he was still reading and writing novels.

Looking back on it now, there are times when all of it feels like a lie.

Was The World After the Fall really a novel we wrote.

Maybe he and I were both just nameless scribes taking down the dream of some distant universe.

“Kim Dokja!”

At Yu Joonghyuk’s shout, I snapped back to my senses.

“Ah.”

I abruptly turned to look behind me.

The hollow of empty universe lay there. The nebulae and Otherworldly Divinities that had threatened us just moments ago had all been swept away.

In that magical blank instant, I clearly witnessed with my own eyes the flash that had wiped them all out.

A stab.

It was definitely a stab.

“Be careful.”

With those words, Yu Joonghyuk stepped in front of me. His body had become rags on the way here. Watching him step forward in that state, I moved to stand beside him.

“I’ve never seen that guy before.”

The shadow over Yu Joonghyuk’s face was wavering with agitation.

Had I ever seen this ‘Yu Joonghyuk of the 41st round’ this tense.

The dot that had looked like a period was growing larger. Soon, the dot took the form of a man. The slightly unusual thing was that the man was naked.

No one had to tell me. I knew. He was the protagonist who had used that ‘stab’.

The moment our eyes met, I felt as if every hair on my body were burning up.

I felt like a gigantic eye was watching me.

A huge, intense eye that regarded the universe.

Not even when I’d faced fable-grade constellations had I ever felt anything like this.

“Yu Joonghyuk. Do you believe in fortuitous encounters?”

“What?”

The naked man holding a single sword finally arrived in front of us. He slowly looked the two of us over and muttered,

“So you’re those guys.”

Those guys. As if he already knew us.

“Just like he said.”

The man’s eyes, filled with deep disappointment, lingered on me for a moment before turning toward Yu Joonghyuk.

“I expected you to be pathetic, but still.”

Yu Joonghyuk frowned and twitched his lips.

Before anything unnecessary could blow up, I stepped forward.

“‘Jaeheon’, the Monarch Slayer. Am I right?”

At my words, the man’s expression changed subtly.

“You know me?”

Of course I did.

He was the protagonist of The World After the Fall that I had written together with Big Bro Fortuitous.

The absolute of the setting of 《Twist of a Fantasy》.

Monarch Slayer Jaeheon.

The protagonist of that story that I wasn’t even sure we’d really written was looking at me.

“Is there anyone in this universe who doesn’t know your name?”

“My fame shouldn’t be in this universe.”

“Let’s call it the neighboring universe.”

On top of that, he even had a prior record of running into Kim Dokja, who had become the Oldest Dream and was wandering the subway.

Well, it wasn’t exactly a pleasant memory for either side.

In any case, what mattered was that he had once appeared in Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.

―Kim Dokja.

Yu Joonghyuk’s [Midday Tryst], full of tension, sounded in my ear.

―He’s a being on par with a myth-grade constellation.

A myth-grade constellation.

The stars occupying the highest possible positions in this <Star Stream>.

Right now, Yu Joonghyuk was saying that this man was equal to, or stronger than, them.

I didn’t know for what purpose the Monarch Slayer had come here. But this was a chance for us.

“Please. Help us.”

“What?”

“We need your help.”

I’d never imagined the day would come when I’d ask him for help. But there was no other way.

[You are currently expelled from the scenario.]

Crackle, crackle— With that sound, the world around us lurched once.

My incarnation body, which had briefly stabilized, was shaking again.

[Enter a new Main Scenario.]
[If you do not acquire a new Main Scenario, you will die.]

I’d forgotten for a moment. That I had died in the ‘Recycling Center’ in the Demon King of Salvation’s stead, and that in return I had become a ‘scenario exile’.

Just like the Kim Dokja of the Demon Realm, right now I was in a position where my incarnation body would disintegrate if I didn’t enter a new scenario.

Jaeheon stared intently at me and asked,

“Why should I help?”

From the way he snapped his words, he felt like he could be Yu Joonghyuk’s ancestor or something.

Still, the fact that we were at least having a conversation meant there was hope.

“You just helped us.”

“I didn’t help you. I only cleared away pests that were interfering with my training.”

Training?

When I focused my vision, I could see the energy rippling over his whole body. A tale extending toward the world like a sharp awl. It was an energy that looked like the very embodiment of ‘stab’.

I got goosebumps. Even in this very moment, he was repeating that stab toward the world.

Hundreds, maybe thousands of stabs per second.

If one were to give form to the concept of ‘stab’, it would probably look like that.

“If you keep getting in my way, I’ll kill you too.”

A chilling warning.

Normally, the reasonable thing to do would be to leave immediately. Our opponent was a being capable of going toe-to-toe with a ‘myth-grade constellation’, after all.

Rumble rumble rumble rumble.

The roaring noise from beyond the void.

I could still feel the rank of the nebula lackeys and Otherworldly Divinities that hadn’t given up on us.

They were only hesitating because this man was here, but the moment we put any distance between us and him, they would swarm us like jackals again.

My instincts told me. Somehow, no matter what, we had to buy time.

“Even though you’re that strong, is there a reason you keep training?”

Jaeheon didn’t answer, but I kept asking.

“Did you come here to meet someone?”

Turning over his traits in my mind, I asked again,

“Or are you looking for a strong ‘enemy’?”

Monarch Slayer Jaeheon was a man with more fighting spirit than anyone. He had stabbed to death all the monarchs and gods who had ruled over 《Twist of a Fantasy》, and in the end he had destroyed the very universe he belonged to. Maybe he’d be interested in the strong ones of this universe.

And indeed, a faint emotion flickered in Jaeheon’s eyes as he slowly lifted his head.

“Does such a being exist?”

“I’ll let you fight them.”

I didn’t use [Agitation]. I instinctively knew that [Agitation] wouldn’t work on the being in front of me. All I could rely on now was my own silver tongue.

Fortunately, Jaeheon seemed slightly intrigued.

“How?”

“We’re currently being chased by the stars of the <Star Stream>.”

Maybe this was our golden opportunity to get rid of our enemies. If we could just get this being, who was nearly a ‘myth-grade constellation’, on our side.

Taking a light deep breath, I continued.

“Just by being with us, all sorts of powerful beings from this <Star Stream> will come looking for you.”

“Is this some scheme to use me?”

“I’m saying we should help each other a little. Just let us stay by your side.”

In any case, if we lost him here, we’d be left with nothing. The sword was in his hand, so rather than trying to persuade him with half-baked words, I figured it was better to be honest about our situation.

Without responding, Jaeheon looked at me. Then he slowly turned his head to look behind my back.

Since when had it been.

The ‘nameless things’ that had been lurking in the distance were once again swelling in number and pressing in.

“Annoying.”

Muttering in a tone that could be taken as either affirmation or denial, he swung his sword at the empty air. Another flash swept through, and the surroundings grew quiet. It was a level of martial might that was downright terrifying.

Jaeheon brushed himself off and slowly started walking somewhere.

I signaled to Yu Joonghyuk so we could follow him.

But Yu Joonghyuk didn’t react.

When I turned, he was unconscious. Only then did his shattered knee and the stab wounds come into my view.

It was only natural.

After using [Return from the Dead], the fact that he’d even made it this far was a miracle.

I hoisted Yu Joonghyuk onto my back and started after Jaeheon. Thankfully, he only moved at a speed we could keep up with. I took that as his consent.

Was this what they called a fortuitous encounter.

If Big Bro Fortuitous had seen that man’s back, what would he have said.

[Your incarnation body is in an unstable state.]
[Fable, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name’ warns you.]

‘Yeah, yeah, I get it, stop nagging.’

My incarnation body’s lifespan was dropping in real time. From here on out, it was a race against time.

While chasing after that ‘Monarch Slayer’, I had to somehow figure out a way to return to a ‘Main Scenario’.

Without looking back, Monarch Slayer Jaeheon muttered,

“One week. No more than that.”

With the ragged Yu Joonghyuk on my back, I nodded.

“One week is enough.”

We would never die. At least not until we’d changed this universe’s goddamn ending.

I started walking hard, following the footprints he’d left behind in the void.