A few steps ahead of me, Jaeheon’s back was a blurred shape.

Walk, stop to rest for a moment. Walk again.

Carrying the collapsed Yu Joonghyuk on my back, I repeated that simple routine over and over.

[Your incarnation body is in an unstable state.]
[Warning. Enter a new ‘Scenario’.]

It wasn’t some kind of health app, yet hearing the same message at irregular intervals made me let out a bitter laugh.

As if anyone was choosing not to enter a ‘Main Scenario’.

「Was it a mistake after all to deliberately fail the ‘Scenario’?」

An old, stale regret washed over me, though I couldn’t say I truly regretted it.

At the time, it had been the best choice.

Fail the scenario and be stripped of my rank as a ‘Constellation’. Then be exiled beyond the boundary of scenarios.

Because it had been the only way to save everyone — including the ‘Demon King of Salvation’ and all the readers.

[Your incarnation body is in an unstable state.]

I coughed, and narrative spilled out.

[Your Narrative is collapsing.]

A body that could have crumbled at any moment — and yet my incarnation body was somehow still managing to hold its form.

[Exclusive Attribute is activating.]
[Exclusive Attribute, ‘Repairer of Records’, delays the collapse of your Narrative.]

Exclusive Attribute: Repairer of Records.

This attribute manifested after I’d gathered a certain amount of ‘Kim Dokja Fragments’; it granted partial resistance specifically to the collapse of an incarnation body.

Of course, this attribute alone wasn’t what was keeping me intact.

[Exclusive Skill, ‘The Fourth Wall’, is active.]
[Exclusive Skill, ‘The Fourth Wall’, is strongly active.]

The Fourth Wall. Kim Dokja’s main skill, the one that had saved him from crisis countless times. If this skill hadn’t triggered properly, I would’ve passed out long ago from the pain.

I pictured the ‘Demon King of Salvation’ and the little Kim Dokjas beyond this wall.

Those who had suffered through that atrocious scenario, yet somehow still loved this story.

「Kim Dokja thought.」

They were speaking.

「You must survive.」

Gagging sounds rose from my throat as more narrative spilled out.

I didn’t know how many times I had vomited narrative when Jaeheon, walking far ahead, stopped. He seemed to be taking a short break.

I gently lowered Yu Joonghyuk onto a floating stone drifting nearby.

Perhaps it was the effect of the ‘Summoning Pill’ I’d fed him earlier. His incarnation body was recovering at a rapid pace.

Even the deep wound under his kneecap was steadily regenerating.

As expected of the protagonist.

At this rate, within a few days Yu Joonghyuk would recover fully and re-enter the scenario.

The problem was whether I would still be alive by then.

[Your incarnation body is in an unstable state.]

Waves of drowsiness hit me from time to time, each accompanied by a biting cold that washed over me.

I must not lose consciousness.

I desperately forced myself to recall Kim Dokja’s Narrative.

At some point, Kim Dokja had gone through something similar.

「If I don’t quickly secure my incarnation body and seal the wounds, my entire Narrative will collapse and I will die.」

I imagined Kim Dokja walking alone across the horizon of stories. Wandering a world without stars’ gazes or scenario supervision.

He had devoured the scattered Narrative Fragments along the horizon, using them to restore his incarnation body and survive the crisis.

How had ‘Kim Dokja’ absorbed those fragments again?

「Lamarck’s Giraffe.」

That’s right. The ‘Demon King of Salvation’ Kim Dokja had possessed such an attribute. Then shouldn’t I also be able to use that attribute?

[Narrative ‘Successor of the Eternal Name’ looks at you with displeasure.]
[Narrative ‘Successor of the Eternal Name’ grumbles and begins telling a story.]

A moment later, a spark seemed to light inside my mind.

[You can temporarily use the Exclusive Attribute, ‘Lamarck’s Giraffe’.]

Lamarck’s Giraffe.

Thanks to this attribute, Kim Dokja had been able to absorb minor Narrative Fragments and temporarily restore his incarnation body.

The problem was that I had no leftover Narrative Fragments to use for restoration.

That was when I heard a vacuum-cleaner-like noise in the distance.

The swarm of ‘Nameless Things’ swimming through the universe — like sardines cutting through the void. And behind them, a grotesque lifeform showing ferocious hunger. Even from afar, its chilling presence was unmistakable.

An Otherworldly Divinity.

A shark-headed godling with a human torso was rampaging through the swarm like a predator, biting into the nameless beings.

I hoped, desperately, that it wouldn’t look this way — but as always, the <Star Stream> betrayed my expectations.

【O O O O O】

A mind-numbing cry of an Outer God. Its fins writhed rapidly as it bared horrifying teeth and charged toward us.

A killing intent that ran cold along my spine.

I reflexively gripped the hilt of ‘Unbreakable Faith’. And at that moment, a flash exploded before my eyes.

Jaeheon had swung his sword.

The shark-headed Outer God’s head burst open, its body erased in an instant.

An unbelievable feat. It wasn’t on the level of ‘Eater of Dreams’, but it had definitely seemed like an Outer God with its own name.

Either way, I didn’t have time to be shocked. Because the Narrative Fragments of the slain Outer God were now drifting in the void.

[Exclusive Attribute, ‘Lamarck’s Giraffe’, reacts.]

Most fragments were corrupted or broken beyond use, but a few were suitable for me to consume.

I glanced at Jaeheon cautiously.

“Um… may I eat that?”

Jaeheon gave me a brief, indifferent look before turning away.

I quickly moved toward the shark’s Narrative Fragments. One fragment stood out — a piece shaped almost like a dorsal fin.

[Narrative Fragment, ‘Rapid Swimming’, rejects your touch.]
[This Narrative is corrupted.]
[Consuming this Narrative may cause side effects.]

The fishy smell was overwhelming. Even with ‘Lamarck’s Giraffe’, this wouldn’t be easy to swallow as-is.

After a brief hesitation, I rummaged through unconscious Yu Joonghyuk’s coat.

Let’s see. If I’m right, he should have that item…

A moment later, my fingers hooked around something that felt like a small spice bottle.

I checked the item info.

+

<Item Information>

Name: Special All-Purpose Seasoning

Grade: A+

Description: An essence made from <Star Stream>’s natural ingredients. Sprinkle it on anything to make it edible. Its recipe is unknown.

+

As expected of Yu Joonghyuk.

I hadn’t been that hopeful — but he actually had it.

「Special All-Purpose Seasoning. An item developed by 2nd-round Yu Joonghyuk for emergency consumption. He rarely uses it himself.」

Why carry it around if you never use it? Who knows.

I slapped some of the seasoning onto the still-twitching fin fragment and, taking a deep breath, swallowed it whole.

The fragment tasted like shark fin sprinkled with ramen powder.

[Exclusive Attribute, ‘Lamarck’s Giraffe’, activates!]
[Narrative Fragment, ‘Rapid Swimming’, rejects absorption!]

The fragment writhed violently in my stomach. Nausea surged like I’d eaten something rotten. But I couldn’t afford to spit it out.

[Your incarnation body is in critical condition.]

If I vomited now, I would die. So I had to swallow. I had to force it down.

A sharp thwack hit my back, hard enough to make me yelp. I turned around to see Jaeheon standing there.

Why hit someone out of nowhere? Is he a psychopath?

Jaeheon said nothing. He simply looked at me for a moment, then walked off, sat down nearby, and crossed his legs.

Only then did I understand why he’d struck me.

[Your digestive ability improves.]
[Exclusive Attribute, ‘Lamarck’s Giraffe’, strongly activates.]
[Narrative Fragment, ‘Rapid Swimming’, has been absorbed.]

Had he actually helped me? The Monarch Slayer Jaeheon?

[Your incarnation body temporarily regains stability.]

Warmth quickly returned as my incarnation body began recovering. At this rate, I could probably hold out for a day or two longer.

“Um… thank you.”

I bowed my head toward Jaeheon. He acted as if he hadn’t heard a word, eyes closed.

Was he stabbing the cosmos again with his Imagery?

What exactly was he trying to stab to death with that much effort?

I watched him for a moment, then checked Yu Joonghyuk’s condition again.

“You should say thank you too, punk.”

Of course, the unconscious Yu Joonghyuk said nothing. It had been so long since I’d last seen him sleeping this peacefully. Even now, I could vividly recall him being thrown from beneath the bridge at Oksu Station — as if it had been yesterday. So many things had happened since then.

During the Washington Dome and the Recycling Center, Yu Joonghyuk had become a black beast, then a little boy in a red hood. He had brushed death countless times — and ended up like this.

Damn brat. Why did he come all the way here? Even in the 3rd round, this never happened.

If he hadn’t come to save me, he would’ve cleared the ‘Recycling Center’ smoothly and begun his growth arc. He would’ve ascended even higher in transcendence and progressed safely to the next scenario with Earth’s readers.

I ruined everything.

Which is why I absolutely had to save him.

After feeding Yu Joonghyuk another portion of the Summoning Pill, I exhaled slowly.

As I picked up the leftover crumbs of the pill and ate them myself, I found Jaeheon watching me.

Why is he looking at me? This is unsettling.

I tried to recall everything I knew about him.

「Monarch Slayer Jaeheon.」

Fortunately, The World After the Fall was a work I had directly participated in, so I remembered quite a bit about him.

For example, if someone asked, “Who is Jaeheon?”, I could answer:

「A protagonist who destroys worlds with nothing but stabbing while stark naked.」

Summarized like that, he definitely sounded like the kind of person one should never get involved with.

After a moment’s hesitation, I held out a bit of the Summoning Pill crumbs toward him.

“Would you like some?”

Sharing food was the best way to bond with someone, wasn’t it?

Whether he was naked or had stabbed his universe to death — that was his world’s business.

And here in the <Star Stream>, he had saved me twice.

Who knows? Maybe the ‘Monarch Slayer’ had softened somewhat under Star Stream’s influence.

“You eat it.”

His sharp reply felt strangely familiar, almost comforting.

“What do you usually eat, then?”

“I don’t really eat anything.”

“If you don’t eat, you’ll die.”

Jaeheon simply stared at me. I was already used to glares like that thanks to a certain someone.

I shook the spice bottle and grinned.

“If there’s anything you want to eat, I can make it for you. I’ve even got great seasoning.”

Not that I actually planned to cook. I wasn’t 81st-round Yu Joonghyuk, and in this ‘Scenario Shift’, what could I possibly make? At best, something like Shredded # Nоvеlight # Outer God Shark Fin, Killed by Merciless Stabbing.

Still, I wanted to talk to this impossible-to-befriend man somehow. For the next week, both my life and Yu Joonghyuk’s were in the hands of this benevolent psychopath.

If he had a change of heart and stabbed us right now, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint would end here.

“The food I want…”

Hm?

“No one can make it anymore.”

His answer caught me off guard. I’d never imagined that the ‘Monarch Slayer’ would even have a food he wanted to eat.

“What kind of food is it?”

If necessary, I could reference ‘81st-round Yu Joonghyuk’s’ recipes. And if ingredients were lacking, I could always rummage through Yu Joonghyuk’s coat pockets.

Jaeheon stared into empty space as though searching an old memory. Then, finally, he spoke.

“Dumplings.”

I stared at him, certain I’d misheard.

…What?

“A dish called ‘Murim Dumplings’.”