Han Sooyoung sat in the penthouse office, looking out the window.

The view of Gwanghwamun spreading out wide.

Han Sooyoung stared at that quiet ruin for a long time, then suddenly, as if something occurred to her, pulled out a notebook and began writing a sentence.

「And so Han Sooyoung was finally facing the last scenario of the 1,863rd round.」

As if she didn’t like that sentence at all, she bit her lip and added a line.

「But can you really call that the 'last'?」

A sentence like unnecessary fat.

Was that sentence her own impressions as she faced the last scenario, or the regretful feelings of a writer who had to end the story like this.

Even though the long-awaited moment had come, what was this inexplicable hollow feeling.

Hesitating, Han Sooyoung closed the notebook, then took a cigarette out from inside her clothes and put it in her mouth.

When she raised her head, a gigantic sphere filling the sky of <Star Stream> came into view at a glance.

The sealing sphere of the Apocalypse Dragon.

Looking at that sphere that looked like a broken period mark, it almost felt like the sphere was speaking to her.

Hadn’t she forgotten something important. Wasn’t it too early to end all stories here.

[Are you thinking about the past ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) or something.]

Turning her gaze toward where the voice came from, she could see the wings of a great archangel floating outside the window.

Since <Eden> of the 1,863rd round had already been destroyed, there was only one 'great archangel' still surviving in this world.

"Yophiel."

Commander of the Red Cosmos—Great Archangel Yophiel.

[What are you thinking about?]

"Just, various things."

When Han Sooyoung answered, Yophiel also looked up at the sky with her.

A world where the stars had set and only ruins remained.

She had broken through that hell-like scenario and finally come this far.

The great archangel who had witnessed all those years from the closest place said.

[You did your best.]

"Yeah, I know."

Han Sooyoung took the cigarette from inside her clothes and lit it. Watching the smoke rising in thin curls in the air, Han Sooyoung let out a light sigh.

"It’s just that something feels off."

When she looked at the half-broken sealing sphere, certain things came to mind.

Scenario 95.

That pale, whitish face that had fallen from the sky that day. The memories of carrying out the scenario together with that guy—short as they were. The moment they sat on the rooftop railing and talked together. Fragments of conversation that brushed past now and then.

Yophiel asked.

[Are you thinking of 'Kim Dokja'?]

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

[Why are you using 'Poker Face'?]

[Exclusive skill, 'Poker Face Lv.???' is being activated!]

[Poker Face] was a skill used so you wouldn’t have your inner thoughts exposed in front of [Lie Detection].

Han Sooyoung pursed her lips and turned the skill off.

"It’s just a habit. Are great archangels always this interested in other people’s business?"

It had already been two years since Kim Dokja appeared in this world.

That guy who appeared in this world like a comet tore up this scenario as he pleased, freed the protagonist, and even let the Apocalypse Dragon loose, then left.

「"Just because the Apocalypse Dragon was freed doesn’t mean it’s all over. You know that too, right?"」

But thanks to that guy raising that kind of hell, Han Sooyoung didn’t have to make the wrong choice. She could live this world properly.

[He would have returned well to his own world line.]

"Yeah."

The world Kim Dokja disappeared to wasn’t here, and he returned to the place he was supposed to be.

Leaving only the writer behind in this world where both the protagonist and the reader had left.

Maybe that was why Han Sooyoung often thought about it. What if she had held onto that guy a little more back then. Asked him to read this story a little longer.

"He’s probably eating well and living well over there."

If she had asked him to watch this world through to the end.

[I wouldn’t know that far, but…….]

"No, he’ll have forgotten everything about this place and be partying it up, messing around. That bastard’s that kind of bastard."

The time she spent with Kim Dokja was really brief.

Even so, when she looked up at the empty sky like now, that face that smiled faintly kept coming to mind.

A man who liked novels more than anyone she knew. Was that guy still reading 'Ways of Survival' even now.

Would he remember her—would he remember this world’s story.

—Captain, preparations are complete.

At the voice transmission she heard from somewhere, she looked down, and near the headquarters entrance, comrades including Lee Hyunsung were waiting for her.

They were the comrades she had formed after falling into this place—the 1,863rd round.

Delusion Fiend Kim Namwoon.

Sea Admiral Lee Jihye.

Beast Lord Shin Yoosung.

Steel Swordmaster Lee Hyunsung.

Comrades who had finally grown to the limit of their growth potential. The proud characters of this world line who wouldn’t easily kneel no matter what constellations they faced.

Han Sooyoung lightly waved a hand toward them and muttered.

"You all worked hard."

She thought she had muttered it so quietly it wouldn’t be heard, but Kim Namwoon, who was looking up this way, shouted.

"What’s with you, Captain! Why do you look like it’s already all over?"

"There’s still the last scenario left!"

Hearing Lee Hyunsung’s booming voice, Han Sooyoung snorted with a smile.

Right. Their enemies still remained beyond that sky.

The enemies guarding things so they couldn’t pass through the gate of the 'last scenario'.

"I’m telling you in advance, you little shits."

As she said that, she was reminded again of how many things had happened in the meantime.

If she just stepped forward one more step, if she wrote just one more sentence, the last phase of this world would end.

Then why was it that taking that one step, writing that one sentence, felt so hesitating.

Then, Kim Namwoon, who had been looking up this way, said something strange.

"Huh? Captain. The Apocalypse Dragon’s movement is kind of weird."

With a feeling of no way, Han Sooyoung raised her head.

Kugugugu.

In the air, the half-broken 'sealing sphere of the Apocalypse Dragon' was showing a strange reaction.

Lee Jihye said.

"What the hell, wasn’t that bastard asleep?"

After the problematic Scenario 95 ended, Han Sooyoung used a special method to make the resurrected Apocalypse Dragon fall back into a 'dormancy period'.

But the Apocalypse Dragon that should definitely have been asleep was wriggling again.

[That can’t be.]

Even Great Archangel Yophiel looked flustered.

With her expression hardening, Han Sooyoung activated [Expected Plagiarism]. And.

"It’s not awake. It’s just sleep-talking, I think."

[Sleep-talking?]

"It’s kind of weird for sleep-talking, but…… damn it."

The moment she confirmed the tail squirming inside the sealing sphere, Han Sooyoung shouted to her comrades.

"Everyone, get behind cover!"

With a tremendous air current, the Apocalypse Dragon’s shockwave shot up into the sky. A blast so loud it felt like it would tear eardrums. A dust storm slammed into the headquarters area. The coughing of incarnations hacking.

After a while, when the dust cleared, someone pointed at the sky and said.

"Something is falling over there!"

From the distant sky, a single star was falling.

*

When I opened my eyes in the darkness, the first thing that came to me was a vicious pain. It felt like Yoo Joonghyuk had beaten on my entire body with [Baekbo Divine Fist]. But there was no way I’d been beaten up by Yoo Joonghyuk, so this was probably just an aftereffect of world line movement.

「World line movement.」

Naturally, what had happened flowed through my head like a panorama.

The first thing that came to mind was what happened in the 'apocalypse region'.

「The destruction of the 'apocalypse region' began.」

「The time stratum where the Apocalypse Dragon had been sleeping opened.」

「To stop the destruction, I personally closed the door of the 'time stratum'.」

「In that process, I crossed over the door of the 'time stratum'.」

And this was the state I ended up in.

My head throbbed as a headache rose. There weren’t just one or two things I had to confirm.

「Whether the 'King of Terror' safely entered the [Fourth Wall].」

「What the possibility of the 'super-giant tale' I supposedly obtained was.」

「What the authority I gained by becoming a Horror Recorder was.」

「Whether Yoo Joonghyuk and Anna Croft safely returned to the scenario.
「Whether my group including Killer King and Ji Eunyu are in okay condition.」

And.

「Where in the world I am right now.」

As for that last question, I had a guess. It was vague, but the scenery I saw right before I passed out was still vivid in my head.

The problem, however, was.

「My arms and legs won’t listen.」

At first, I thought it was just muscle pain. But as sensation slowly returned, I realized it wasn’t that.

A state where I couldn’t activate either [Skills] or [Stigmas].

Right now, I was restrained by a special tool.

「Tale metal.」

The moment I checked my arms and legs tied to the bed, fear hit me hard.

Where is this?

Why am I tied up?

In the middle of that, maybe as a consideration so I wouldn’t die, a long tube connected to a tale pack was stuck into the back of my hand.

"Don’t move. The tale still hasn’t stabilized."

In the darkness, the face of a very pale woman was revealed. I recognized who she was at a glance.

"Lee Seolhwa?"

But the atmosphere was subtly different from the 'Lee Seolhwa' I knew.

Lee Seolhwa looked down at me with troubled eyes. She looked like she wanted to say something, but the voice that came from behind stopped her.

"That’s enough, go out."

"Yes, Captain."

When Lee Seolhwa obediently disappeared outside, a deep silence settled over the room. Tied up on the bed, bearing that stillness wasn’t an easy thing, so I carefully opened my mouth.

"Excuse me."

Then, in the darkness, I could feel someone approaching this way. Light footsteps. Under the dim lamp, a face I knew well was looking down at me.

「Han Sooyoung.」

The moment I confirmed her face, my chest ached. Memories boiled up in my head. Whether she knew how I felt or not, Han Sooyoung opened her mouth in a calm voice.

"You."

"Yes?"

Was my answer not to her liking. Han Sooyoung glared at me for a moment, then suddenly asked a strange question.

"Did you come back?"

"……?"

"Hmm. Looking at those dopey eyes, you’re not 'that guy'."

In an instant, my head got complicated.

「This world line was the '1,863rd round' of 'Ways of Survival'.」

And the Han Sooyoung in front of me was definitely 'that Han Sooyoung'.

Han Sooyoung who received 'half of the memories' from the main body. Han Sooyoung who crossed over to the 1,863rd round according to the contract with the 'Secretive Plotter'.

Han Sooyoung who tried to seal Yoo Joonghyuk in the 1,863rd round forever.

"What the hell are you?"

That Han Sooyoung was asking what I was.

I made it here somehow, but I couldn’t get a sense of what I should say to explain myself.

After taking a steady deep breath, I muttered in my head.

'Backer constellation.'

In a situation like this, borrowing Kim Dokja’s mouth would probably be best. Kim Dokja had already met this Han Sooyoung, so he would know what to answer in this situation.

But what was it. No matter how long I waited, the 'Demon King of Salvation' didn’t respond.

What?

Come to think of it, the coat I’d been wearing had been taken off too. When I turned my head, I could see my coat hanging about ten steps away. But since my arms and legs were tied, there was no way to check what was in the coat pocket.

But.

"Looking for this, by any chance?"

At the tips of Han Sooyoung’s fingers, my smartphone was being held.

Before I knew it, I opened my mouth.

"Please give it back."

Han Sooyoung laughed, like she found my behavior amusing.

"You know how useless a 'smartphone' is in this world, right?"

That was definitely true.

From right after the 'scenario' opened, the item called a 'smartphone' was no longer 'smart'. Because various skills could fully replace the role of a 'smartphone'.

"Looks like you’ve got something precious in it?"

"That’s……."

Hearing that ambiguous voice, I thought maybe the Han Sooyoung in front of me might already know a lot.

But even if she did, I still couldn’t tell how I should bring it up to her.

「Han Sooyoung of the 1,863rd round was one of the characters entrusted with one of the most important roles in this entire setting.」

If I carelessly brought it up wrong, and the world line got tangled again?

After thinking for a moment, I said this.

"It has a novel I like in it."

"What novel? Don’t tell me it’s 'Ways of Survival'."

I didn’t answer.

Maybe because of how she took my silence, Han Sooyoung went, hmm, and nodded.

"You look like him and even talk like him, but you’re not him. But you like the exact same novel as him…… interesting."

In that short time, it looked like Han Sooyoung had finished her insight into the human called 'me'.

Maybe I’d been underestimating her. Thinking about it, she was an existence who figured out who Kim Dokja was and even where he came from with nothing but the 'Sacred Three Questions'.

With a chill, I slowly raised my head. Han Sooyoung smiled brightly and opened her mouth.

"You, you’re Kim Dokja’s [Avatar], aren’t you?"